School pupils get reading materials
May 20, 2021 – One of the most important requirements for teaching English literacy in primary schools is to provide children with books to read. However, in most rural schools in Uganda, schools do not have books for children to read. Similarly, most parents cannot afford the books.
In response to this need, from 18th to 20th May, Organic Impact worked with Squaring the Education Pyramid institute (STEPi), a non-profit organization, to provide motivational story books to primary school children. The aim of this activity was to promote a reading culture, help children learn literacy in English better, and contribute to their emotional and intellectual development.
The team visited seven schools and delivered reading materials to a total of 788 Primary Four learners. In addition, talks were given to the children on the importance of staying in school and developing a reading culture. The benefiting schools were Agola Primary School, Agwait Primary school, Achilet Primary School, Mudakori Primary School, Peta Parents Primary School, Peta Primary School and Iyolwa Primary School. Pupils, teachers and parents greatly appreciated the books.
The books distributed to the children were:
‘A boy named Justice’ — this story inspires a virtue of courage, confidence, resilience, compassion for others and standing up for what is right.
‘Grasshopper and chapatti’ – a story of love and kindness in families and societies. It helps in family bonding.
‘Sharon’s song’ — this story describes appropriate and healthy relationships and adapting to every situation as it unfolds.
‘100 Stories’ — inspire children to love reading with very simple and interesting stories.
‘Crash Boom Splash’ — inspire children to love reading with very simple and interesting stories.
Besides providing children with reading materials, the team engaged parents and teachers in positive parenting discussions. A total of 136 parents attended the discussions in the seven schools together with teachers. Parents were engaged in discussions on various ways in which they can contribute to the educational achievement and future success of their children. Through the discussions, they were made to realise that successful parenting takes work and it is a skill that can be learned and developed through reading, classes, observation, experience and study. In a nutshell, this activity was a brief introduction to successful parenting.