Worldreader Hosts its First Annual Community Conferences

Speaking to an energetic room full of key partners, Worldreader’s Kenya Operations Manager, Joan Mwachi-Amolo, closed our first annual Community Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, with this final remark: “each one of us here has the power to impact the life of a child out there.”

Worldreader hosted its first annual Community Conferences in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from April 10-11 and 15-16 where collectively over 100 stakeholders united to discuss joint efforts to improve people’s lives through literacy and education.

 

Having everyone in the same room for the first time made for an inspiring and dynamic atmosphere. Traveling from across East Africa, publishers, project managers, and leaders from various sectors engaged in dialogue on critical facets needed to improve access to books through Worldreader’s e-reader and mobile phone platforms.

Dedicated workshops were held for publishers and project managers, where each learned more about advancements in their fields while also exchanging best practices. Publishers explored strategies for broadening the market to ensure that more culturally relevant books are made available to students using already existing technology. Meanwhile, project managers shared tactics on enhancing student learning and increasing their projects’ impact through fundraising and community awareness.

Leaders from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and Kenya National Library Services also heard directly from project managers and publishers on how books, which might otherwise go unread, are now reaching communities through Worldreader’s e-reader programs and mobile phone application.

 

The Worldreader team – hailing from Kenya, Ghana, United States, and Spain – was thrilled to share its recent developments, including exciting pilot projects with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a mobile reading study with UNESCO and solar initiatives. Project managers also took the stage and shared stories of how Worldreader has already made a direct impact in their communities. Here’s one example from David Lemiso, project manager at the Kilgoris Project:

“Introducing e-readers changed the school. Children queue to read!”

For a complete report of each conference, please visit:

Community Conference — Nairobi, Kenya | Community Conference — Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

 

Thanks to all those who attended, Worldreader’s first annual Community Conferences were a success. Digital and mobile reading have been proven to improve literacy, increase education, and change lives, and Worldreader is ecstatic to have a community that has joined us this reading revolution.

Do you know a partner who wants to join the reading revolution? Email us at info@worldreader.org!