The Story
Behind The Book
Drive Campaign
How We Started
In August 2011, we partnered with a Community-Based Organization
in the slums of Ajegunle, Lagos State to teach about 150 young people
like Sarah, Francisca, Kola, Isaac and their peers, soft skills.
They were eager to learn and desired to read books that will help them acquire more skills, but they did not have the resources to buy or access books.
We gave the young people ‘Rage For Change’ by LEAP Africa, and 15-year-old Sarah started an initiative called ‘Eagle Wings Club’, focused on encouraging young girls to read. Sarah has been one of our volunteer implementing partners since 2011 and in 2021 set up the 35th Reading Corner in Alakoto Nursery and Primary School in Ajegunle, Lagos State.
This project made us realize that there was a dearth or famine of books. As a result of ‘the book famine’ according to the World Literacy Foundation; 9 out of 10 children in public/community schools in Africa cannot read.
They were eager to learn and desired to read books that will help them acquire more skills, but they did not have the resources to buy or access books.
We gave the young people ‘Rage For Change’ by LEAP Africa, and 15-year-old Sarah started an initiative called ‘Eagle Wings Club’, focused on encouraging young girls to read. Sarah has been one of our volunteer implementing partners since 2011 and in 2021 set up the 35th Reading Corner in Alakoto Nursery and Primary School in Ajegunle, Lagos State.
This project made us realize that there was a dearth or famine of books. As a result of ‘the book famine’ according to the World Literacy Foundation; 9 out of 10 children in public/community schools in Africa cannot read.
Our Solution
We decided to start giving books to underserved
children who want to read, but do not have access
to books, set up Reading Corners or donate books
to public/community school libraries.
However, from 2011 to 2020, we only succeeded in
setting up 12 Reading Corners and donated 48,858
books.
Then, in 2020, Covid-19 Pandemic made children in public schools,
lose 6 months of schooling making the situation worse. According to
a simulation exercise by Belafi and Kaffenberger, without any forms
of remediation, a 6-month school closure, as was the case with
Nigeria, will result in an average loss of 1.4 years’ worth of learning
for the current cohort of primary school students. Although, with
some remediation, this learning loss only reduces slightly to 1 year.
On the other hand, they also show that an intervention focused on
long-term reorientation of the education system will lead to a
learning gain of about 7 months, generating learning recovery and
further gain.
“READING IS THE GATEWAY FOR CHILDREN THAT MAKES ALL OTHER LEARNING POSSIBLE.”
Our Progress So Far...
0
BOOKS DONATED
0
READING CORNERS
0
CHILDREN REACHED
What Can You Do?
1
VOLUNTEER to read to the children in the existing Reading Corners in PortHarcourt and across Nigeria.
2
Become a Book Drive Campaign AMBASSADOR and support us by creating awareness about the project on social media.3
Become a DONOR and donate cash to buy books, a bookshelf or set up a Reading Corner.
Who Would You Be Helping?
Primary school children in underserved communities, public schools
and orphanage homes in the 36 States of Nigeria and the capital
Abuja who do not have access to books. Children like Ashon, Khalid,
Preye, Onome, Yemi and their peers who live in underserved
communities across Nigeria have received their first personal
storybooks. They currently have access to books that will give them
hope for a bright future and change their lives, because of the
Reading Corners we have set up in their schools and communities.
Feedback from our volunteers and beneficiaries
I went to school today to collect
my report card and I came 2nd out
of 15. I am thankful to KIR
Foundation and its staff for the
Reading Corner in my school so
that | can read and improve in my
academics.
Thank you OctaFX and KIR
Foundation for my Backpack,
Pen, Eraser, Pencil, Sharpener,
Dictionary, and Exercise
books. I am very happy!
Since I started reading, I know
every position needs
knowledge and this can be
achieved through reading.
The entire project was outstanding because
this is a village school and I was able to get volunteers to turn up and read to the children. Also, I
got extra books to give to the pupils during the monitoring and evaluation exercise and every week
two pupils got a book each.
I volunteered with KIR Foundation
because of my shared vision with the
project to promote quality education
for underserved children who do not
have access to books .
Great things are happening in KIR
Foundation! I have had the rare privilege
of working with a lot of youth who are
Changemakers and emerging leaders that
are promoting quality education by giving
underserved children access to books!
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