Story Moja Read Aloud
This is the largest gathering of Kenyan children reading aloud from the same text and at the same time in multiple locations. It is a 30-minute expressive and interesting reading exercise that runs from 8:30am-9.00am on the chosen day, in which children in different schools across the country read the same text at the same time.
They are joined in various ways by Reading Ambassadors drawn from various sectors of society. This year’s edition will be on the International Day of the African Child – 16 June 2021.
This day is significant as it raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children. It also celebrates the children of Africa and recognizes them as the change agents of the society.
Campaign Objectives
- To counter the negative perception of reading for pleasure epitomized by a terrible common saying, ‘If you want to hide something from a Kenyan/African, put it in a book.’
- While Kenya has one of the best education systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, research indicates that 7 out of 10 children in Grade 3 cannot read Grade 2 level text. Our goal is to show reading is a fun activity that exposes children to new words, which in the long run give them the ability to communicate (speaking and writing) and comprehend text.
- To position storybooks/stories as powerful tools that can be used to teach and introduce children to complex concepts and conversations.
- To position reading as a solution to ensuring education gains are not completely reversed, especially since we are still right in the middle of a pandemic.