Sarah; The Confident Reader

Written by:  Sasu Brako,  Education and Life Skills Project Officer

Like many other children in Abujuru Community in Krachi West Municipality, 11-year-old Sarah could not read a single word until two years ago, when she joined World Vision’s After-School Reading Club in her community. Her knowledge of sound identification was limited to school letter names. Her parents were peasant farmers with no time to tutor her. This challenge rendered Sarah moody, and she became a truant.

It was a turning point in Sarah’s life after she followed her friends to the After-School Reading Club in her community. Today, she is confident in reading passages from books due to her participation in the reading club.

During one of the monitoring visits to the reading club, Sarah’s mother, Madam Gladys, commented, "There was a sudden change in my daughter’s life immediately after she started attending the reading club. She reads story books at home, and this has improved her academic performance."

In Krachi West Municipality, many children could not access books in the local dialects they spoke at home, thus their "mother tongue". World Vision Ghana worked in partnership with the Ghana Education Service and local printers to publish over 200 books in local languages. These books are distributed to After-School Reading Clubs and kept in "Book Banks," which serve as libraries in communities. Book banks in reading clubs allow children to borrow books. Over 15,500 copies of these books have been distributed to 45 reading clubs across the Krachi West Area Programmes.

Sarah is now actively involved in facilitating club sessions, leading the group to read stories, and answering comprehension questions. "I enjoy coming to the reading club to read to my friends," Sarah said.

Collins, a reading club facilitator in Abujuru Community, described Sarah as a confident reader. "Initially, most of the children were unable to identify and blend letter sounds to form new words in their local language. With constant support, most children like Sarah can now read confidently. He added.

The After-School Reading Club is integral to the Education Project for early-grade learners. They are places where children can go after school and on weekends to build on literacy skills learned at school. World Vision Ghana trained community volunteers to lead children to learn to read through games and storytelling, all focused on improving their reading skills.

Currently, Sarah is in Basic 3 and has also joined World Vision’s "Let the Children Come Project" for improved spiritual nurturing as she aspires to become a nurse in her community.