Sponsor a Book Project

During my last trip to Osiligi there was a focus on reading. So, before I returned this time I came up with an idea, with my very good friends Mary and Gill, to improve reading resources.  Sponsor a Book was born!

The information that we sent out is below:

Can you imagine learning to read without ever having opened a book? That is the reality for many children in Kenya. Due to a lack of resources and suitable reading material, most children are taught reading by a teacher, using a blackboard. 

The Maasai culture is very rich and uses the mediums of music and dance to celebrate a long history and traditional practices.  However, many Maasai children will never have seen a book prior to coming to school.  This has a negative impact throughout their education.  The outcome is children learning to read words, paragraphs and pages efficiently but with little understanding. 

The Reading Project

There is no doubt that improving the reading ability of pupils will have a significant impact on both attainment and life skills.  Teachers have recently undergone training in how to teach reading and how to support pupils’ learning.  Now we need to resource it.

The Goal

We would like to have enough quality books for pupils to:

• Listen to teacher led story sessions
• Work in reading groups to read independently
• Have a school library where books are accessible to pupils, to encourage reading for pleasure

The Idea

I will purchase suitable books – some in the UK and some in Kenya.  (It is important to support sustainability and local business in Africa) You sponsor one of these books for £10.  The book, (with your name and message inside) will become part of the school library and enrich children’s reading experiences for years to come.

Your message will be transferred by me, to a template and attached inside the book.  Example below:

I intended to ask friends and family only but got a huge response.  A local company matched what I raised so I was able to bring 105 sponsored books plus the money raised to begin to create a library. Exciting times!