10 Thousand Dreams: Empowering Children to Reach Their Potential

Every child’s big story deserves to come true. We must get children reading today so they can build their own tomorrow.

Abigail is 11 years old and lives in the rural Andean region of Ayacucho, Peru. Sitting in her room, she wears a white T-shirt with little stars and big words. It says Voy a conquistar el mundo (“I’m going to conquer the world”).

When she grows up, she tells us, Abigail wants to be a scientist. “I love science and doing experiments,” she says. Her favorite book is Las Alpaquitas (Little Alpacas), “because it teaches us to be responsible when taking care of our animals.”

Ever since she started reading on BookSmart with her family, Abigail has noticed that she’s learning lots of new words. She says that she’d recommend the app to other children and all her friends, “so they can learn to express themselves better”.

Abigail and her family joined CreceLee, a Worldreader and World Vision holistic school-to-home digital reading program that supports primary school students. From the rural Andes to urban centers, CreceLee is making BookSmart digital stories like Little Alpacas available in the homes, classrooms, and hands of under-resourced children across Peru, so they can keep reading even when books and time are scarce. Abigail’s family is currently running a reading marathon, striving to complete at least 25 books in one year.

Why reading matters

Research suggests that if she finishes the marathon and continues reading every day, Abigail will have a better chance of achieving the academic success she needs to make her dreams come true and become a scientist. That’s because reading is a foundational skill, and regular reading leads to better educational outcomes, stronger emotional intelligence, and greater earning potential. The best part? Reading has even greater positive effects on girls.

In other words, reading is the superpower that can help children turn their dreams into reality. Children like Abigail but also Priya, who lives in India and wants to become a doctor, and Natasha, who lives in Ghana and dreams to be an artist – by reading early and often, they’ll develop the tools to be in charge of their own big story. Or, as Abigail would put it, ‘conquer the world’.

Unfortunately, too many children can’t access the books, tools, support, and opportunities they need to reap the benefits of reading. Today, 64% of ten-year-olds globally can’t read and understand a simple story, and too many don’t have access to books at home. That’s nearly 7 out of every 10 of the world’s children left without the opportunity to unlock the power of reading to reach their potential.

The good news is, we can fix that.

10 thousand children, 10 thousand dreams

Children who read stay longer in school, earn higher grades, and make better choices for their future. Together, we can empower the world’s children to dream big and reach their potential so their best story can come true. But we need to move fast.

That’s why we’re on a mission to get 10,000 children reading by the end of 2023. By giving the gift of reading we can help children build their own tomorrow, today. 

Give a better story today

Reading is the best investment in a child’s future and the key to ending learning poverty worldwide. By giving children reading opportunities, you support their learning. Every $1 invested in a child’s early learning can yield a $4 to $16 dollar return.

Here’s what we’ll do with your help:

👧 A $25 donation can bring reading to one child like Abigail or support other vital activities ➤ Give now

🏘️ A $350 donation will support our entire mission and can bring reading to 14 children and their families ➤ Give now

📖 A $500 donation will support our entire mission and can bring one big story to life, enhancing an inspiring book with reading activities that boost children’s comprehension and social-emotional skills ➤ Give now

🤝 Can’t donate? ➤ Learn about other ways to support our mission to get children reading.