Writing a brighter future in Burundi

In the lead-up to World Book Day, we’re celebrating the generosity and commitment of our partners to write a brighter future for vulnerable children. Since 2011, World Vision has partnered with Cengage Australia to deliver more than 325,000 learning materials to children across southern and eastern Africa.

We know that real transformation happens – and lasts – when communities are empowered to change their own circumstances. Education is crucial to this empowerment. Access to a quality education leads to life-transforming benefits that can help break the cycle of poverty. For girls, just one year of secondary school can boost their earning potential by as much as 25 percent. Education leads to more sustainable families, helps to protect girls from abuse and child marriage, and empowers individuals to activate positive, sustainable change in their communities.

As part of our Unlock Literacy program, we’ve partnered with Cengage Australia to create excitement around learning and support positive outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

What is Unlock Literacy?

World Vision’s Unlock Literacy program focuses on helping children improve core skills of reading, vocabulary and comprehension. The key pillars of the program are:

•  Reading assessments: Baseline and end-line reading assessments measure children’s reading levels, evaluate their learning needs, and help schools and ministries of education track students’ progress.

•  Teacher training: Teachers learn to incorporate the five core reading skills into their curricula and receive ongoing teacher coaching. Teachers learn to create a print-rich environment in their classrooms and ensure that children remain motivated while learning to read.

•  Community action: Mobilising parents and communities to support children as they learn to read through fun out-of-school reading camps.

•  Teaching and learning materials: Creation of locally relevant and grade-appropriate reading materials. These steps address the ways children learn to read, how teachers and parents can help, and create a culture of reading: in school, at home and in the community.

Our partnership with Cengage Learning

Cengage textbooks and story books provide vital resources for schools, libraries and learning centres to ensure quality learning opportunities for all children. In the Muririmbo Primary School in north-eastern Burundi, a recent donation of Cengage story books is helping students to improve their literacy and reading skills.

In their daily English lesson, the Grade 5 students follow the words and sounds as their teacher reads a storybook aloud to the class. Pamela, in Grade 5, says, “With this book, I am learning how to read and speak English words. Once I am fluent in English, I can travel all over the world!”

Prior to receiving the Cengage books, students would often crowd around a single book and were unable to continue their learning after class. With the donation of Cengage storybooks, Pamela and her classmates each have their own copy of books and can borrow other books from the school library.

Jonathan Ndereyimana, the English teacher, smiles and says, “I am so grateful for these books. These books are helping my students to read and move forward in understanding English words.”

The experience of students in north-eastern Burundi is echoed in countries around the world, where Cengage resources have captured the imagination of thousands of young learners. Together with Cengage Learning, we’re helping to deliver quality materials and learning opportunities, empowering children to learn, grow and thrive.