Worldreader celebrates Young Readers Day to promote reading culture in Kenya

On November 9, 2021, the world commemorated Young Readers Day, a special day to recognise the joys and benefits of reading and to promote reading culture among children.

Worldreader, an international non-profit organisation, celebrated this day by carrying out reading activities at the Kidogo Centre of Excellence in Kangemi.

Speaking at the event, Regional Director for East Africa Joan Mwachi said that she believes that their organisation works towards supporting and developing a reading culture amongst Kenyan children and young adults.

"Our organisation believes and works towards supporting and developing a reading culture amongst Kenyan children and young adults," she said.

"It has been proven that reading has tremendous benefits that are lifelong and go a long way in improving interpersonal skills among children."

Mwachi noted that Worldreader supports parents and teachers in encouraging their children to develop a reading culture and become better members of the society.

Worldreader has also partnered with 20 local publishers to digitise over 858 Kenyan books into several languages including English and Kiswahili, to help build on reading culture among young children.

The publishers include; Longhorn Publishers, Mountain Top Publishers, Kenyan Literature Bureau, Moran Publishers, The Jomo Kenyatta Foundation and East African Educational Publishers, among others.

Linet Kaloki, a representative from Kidogo Centre of Excellence commended Worldreader for supporting them by promoting reading in the centre.

"Our center caters to young children within the informal settlement of Kangemi where access to reading materials and a conducive environment is a challenge."

"We, therefore, appreciate this support by worldreaders and we hope it continues because of the impact it has in our community."

Worldreader offers two free solutions for students available on mobile phones. For young and primary-aged children, ​BookSmart gives parents, caregivers, and primary students themselves access to a library, so they can continue reading whether schools are in session or not. 

BookSmart starts with a free base collection of 400 great local and international children's books, available via the Google Play Store or web browser. ​The light app, optimized for all connection speeds, keeps data costs low. Books can be saved for offline reading for those with limited data.