Our literacy content and way of teaching is currently used in 3 centers in Nairobi metropolitan and impacting over 150 children weekly, with the majority of these children reached through teachers and volunteers that we train, support and follow-up with to ensure learning remains child-centered and improvements are seen.
WHO WE ARE
Watoto Wasome’s is a Kiswahili phrase meaning “Let the children read”. Our mission is to
improve the literacy levels of children aged 3-10 years in community centers and schools
through use of learner-centered approaches, thereby contributing to bridging the literacy
gap in the quality of instruction and involvement received by children in underserved
communities.
Watoto Wasome is a non-profit social enterprise that creates engaging, child-centered
literacy activities for children in Kenya.
In short, we help children to love learning literacy and smile while at it through what we do.
The Problem
The mystery that has perplexed many educators nationwide has been Why are literacy levels among Kenyan children failing to improve, despite increased enrollment, enhanced attendance rates for both children and teachers and a growing emphasis on the significance of a solid early years foundation?
The study by Uwezo Kenya (2016) found that learning has remained static over the years. It reports that nationally, “only 3 out of 10 class 3 children can read a class 2 level story and 1 out of 6 children in the same class cannot read an English word” and in class 8 “4 out of 100 children cannot read a class 2 English story” (Uwezo, 2014). According to the same study, by the time a child is getting to class 1, 13% of children cannot identify a single letter, 43% can read a letter, 29% a word, 7% a paragraph and 8% a story. This is at a level where the average child is expected to be able to read a short story.
This could be a pointer that these children were not well prepared in the early literacy skills acquired in preschool and the reading skills acquired in the early grades one and two. While the current efforts towards accessibility to school are appreciated, it cannot be ignored that learning is rigid and boring which continues to leave children unmotivated to learn.
SOLUTION
Exciting
Watoto Wasome promises to bring an exciting new way to learn without breaking the bank. By leveraging on the use of recyclable materials to create literacy activities, use of affordable or secondhand storybooks and toys, and training teachers on our child-centered approach and building their confidence in the classroom, we can greatly improve children’s literacy and love for reading at affordable costs.
Learning Experience
We strive to ensure the child is fully engaged in the learning process and that we are including as many learning styles as possible.With support and willingness of many institutions serving underserved kids and those who dropped out of school, we are positioned to grow our reach and impact, bringing new and impactful learning experiences to the Kenyan child.
Motivation: What if all children enjoyed literacy learning?
We ensure our activities are designed with the child at heart through the inclusion of hands-on activities during the learning process instead of the default rote teaching and memorization.
Access: What if children across Kenya could access hands-on literacy learning resources that support their learning and encourage confidence and self-expression?
We strive to partner with schools and organizations that work with underserved children to train teachers on our child-centred learning programs and to follow up to ensure proper support and implementation has been done to guarantee improvement.
Ecosystem: What if communities, schools and teachers were empowered with needed training and guidance to create a holistic literacy learning environment for the child?
We provide teacher and volunteer training to support developing and implementation of literacy activities.
OUR IMPACT
At our core, we prioritize the well-being and development of children, ensuring that their needs are placed front and centre of our programs. In Nairobi, we diligently monitor, evaluate, and enhance our approach, striving for continuous improvement. Our child-centred methodology captivates young learners, presenting literacy in an engaging and minimalist manner that resonates with their unique perspectives. From planning dynamic activities to their seamless implementation, we actively gather feedback from the users themselves—children and teachers—to identify areas for growth and apply meaningful enhancements.
The testimonials from our dedicated educators are a testament to the impact we’ve made. Teachers report remarkable progress, with increased classroom participation, heightened concentration, and tremendous literacy growth. Children, who once had little to no knowledge of letter sounds, are now reading three and four-letter words with confidence. Moreover, they exhibit newfound speaking prowess in front of others and showcase improved comprehension skills.
Driven by our unwavering commitment, we continuously and rigorously measure our impact, leveraging the insights gained from evaluation to refine our products and services for the benefit of Kenyan children. Join us on this transformative journey as we unlock the full potential of every child through the power of literacy.
PATH TO SCALE
Over the next two years, our focus will be on running Watoto Wasome as a full-time entity i.e. Monday to Friday (as we only work on 3 Sundays a month due to current budget constraints) and reaching more organizations and schools through intensive teacher training and continuous support and follow-up and material provision and also purchasing of digital literacy devices. We aim to increase the number of children we reach, with evidenced literacy improvement in 2,000 children by 2025.
As we scale to new geographies, we will also add permanent paid staff and set-up digital and analog training programs and monitoring and evaluation systems. We are committed to continual growth and expansion across Kenya as the literacy gap is even wider in rural regions and ensuring that as many children in Kenya can smile while they learn. By increasing the effectiveness of our programs with children, while also increasing our reach, we can exponentially increase the impact of our programs and eventually literacy outcomes among Kenyan children within our target age group.