Learning

USAID continues to prioritize foundational reading skills and currently funds 19 early grade reading projects across sub-Saharan Africa.

Teachers must teach in the same language that their students use and understand. These language skills, coupled with pedagogical content knowledge and instructional approaches, are essential for providing effective reading instruction.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, participants in the USAID DRC Integrated Youth Development Activity, implemented by the Education Development Center, have worked diligently to combat the spread of COVID-19 within the community. 

Reading, the bedrock of literacy, is the foundational skill necessary for all academic progress. Designing high-quality primary grade reading programs is essential to ensuring a pipeline of students who remain in school, achieve educational success, and contribute to economic growth.

How can practitioners and donors develop effective programming to help youth truly understand what entrepreneurship is and engage as entrepreneurs themselves?

Kenya implemented the Tusome Early Grade Reading Activity in 2014. It introduced interventions at the grade 1 level beginning in 2015. Taking its name from the Kiswahili word for “let’s read,” the Tusome program was a five-year, nationwide effort.

In 2010, less than ten percent of Kenya’s primary school-aged children were reading at the national level benchmarks. Ten years later, largely due to the success of the Tusome program, nearly 66 percent of grade two students now read at grade level.

SafePlan Uganda and KCEO have adopted many promising approaches as youth-led organizations that focus on robust relationship building with partners, youth networks, and involving influential community leaders.