Partnership with Hope for the Child

Hope for the Child is a fellow 501c3 nonprofit based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Kenyan native Akinyi Williams’s stewardship, Hope for the Child seeks to foster the education, growth, development, and societal leadership of impoverished, orphaned, or otherwise disadvantaged children in the Kisumu region of Kenya. Reading the World established a partnership with two Hope for the Child schools in Nyahera and Nyamila townships in July, 2024. We provided whiteboards for students in the Nyahera preprimary school and infrastructure funds for the new school building site at the Nyamila primary school.

Following a study of the school curriculum and pedagogy, Reading the World further committed to raising funds for professional development around the science of reading, school supplies, and independent school libraries. Here is what we accomplished:

• We provided each classroom with one-to-one student book sets. In classrooms of 40 or more students, children used to gather around three or four textbooks to read. Now they can read independently and in small groups. With your donation, we can supply textbooks so families do not have to buy them!
• We built a school library. A soft opening was held in August, 2025, to celebrate the opening of the Karibu Library, which will become an interactive space for reading, tutoring, and technology. In time, the space will open to the community as a hub for literacy and learning. With your donation, we can put books in the library!
• We provide ongoing consulting in pedagogy and leadership. Teachers are looking for ways to improve instruction; our individualized training sessions support the teachers and building leaders in evidence-based practices that get results. With your donation, we can provide classroom instruction materials!
• We provided Arise & Shine Nyahera decodable books from Just Right Reader. These books offer students multiple and varied opportunities to practice foundational reading skills, particularly in the area of phonics, but also in orthography and fluency. Each book also comes with an instructional guide video and activity suggestions. With your donation, we can add classroom library sets!
• We introduced two American teachers to the Kenyan education system! Nicole Jamieson and Julia Cohen, teachers from the Simsbury Public Schools in CT, traveled to Kenya in the summer of 2025 to exchange teaching strategies with Arise & Shine schools. They modeled Science of Reading teaching activities commonly used in CT, and learned about the core values of education in Kenya. The exchange of learning is off the charts for personal and professional futures. With your donation, we can support pre-service and early career teachers' educational exchange in Africa!

The future is bright at Arise and Shine! Our partnership serves as a model for addressing school deserts throughout Africa by focusing on professional development, instructional materials, and infrastructure support.

Your donation makes global literacy happen!