Aprende Leyendo, which translates to “learn by reading,” is a Colombian-based nonprofit organization focused on increasing children’s literacy in Colombia. According to the organization, literacy is “the pathway to sustainable peace in Colombia.” Focusing on literacy worldwide has been a common goal of humanitarian activists and those working to alleviate poverty. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the fight against illiteracy has become more necessary and troublesome, and groups like Aprende Leyendo are working to fill gaps and support children left behind. 

Literacy in Numbers

Colombia and the rest of South America have been fighting to increase children’s literacy for a while, yet the pandemic posed unprecedented obstacles. According to UNICEF, “four in five sixth graders within Latin America are expected to lack basic reading comprehension proficiency.” This number has increased since the start of the Pandemic as school closures and lack of funding hit many communities. These same studies estimate that the region’s learning goals have been set back by more than a decade. This impacts current and future students. These findings are likely because children in Latin America faced some of the longest school interruptions globally- on average, “students in the region lost, fully or partially, two-thirds of all in-person school days since the start of the pandemic, with an estimated loss of 1.5 years of learning.” 

These learning disparities not only limit the personal growth and knowledge individuals can acquire, it also compromise the country’s future development and class disparities within the nation. According to Jean Gough, UNICEF’s Latin America regional director, “turning a blind eye to the most severe learning crisis ever faced by the region will hurt children now and all of us in the long run.” Increasing children’s literacy is a necessary fight against poverty. 

Governments across the continent have implemented various programs to support children’s literacy and increase learning resources, yet the world of organizations like Aprende Leyendo is crucial, especially within rural communities with limited resources. Focused primarily on Colombia, the group works to fight the connection between poverty and illiteracy. In Colombia, poverty is the leading cause of illiteracy. Within the most impoverished communities and families in Colombia, at least 80% are currently illiterate. 

Aprende Leyendo

The World Literacy Foundation implemented Aprende Leyendo in 2014 and focuses on children aged 4 to 14 years living in marginalized communities. The group believes in focusing on younger populations as an early intervention tactic to decrease illiteracy before adulthood and increase opportunities available to children as adults. In these communities, war has impacted 41,411 children and teenagers. In 2020-2021, the literacy programs by Aprende Leyendo impacted more than 3,000 children across five communities. As of last year, it distributed 3,550 books. 

Providing Books and Educational Resources

The group focuses on increasing children’s literacy through three means: providing books and educational resources, providing literacy support to struggling children and involving parents in the program to encourage more reading at home, and bringing literary technology and digital e-books to children in remote communities. The technology also encourages games focused on literacy for children to practice reading skills. It distributed paper books every six months so children continue to have new material to learn from. 

A Weekly Reading Group

Further, children join a weekly reading group to encourage communal learning and make learning fun with activities and a shared meal. Parents are receive encouragement to join workshops during these times to learn how parents can support reading at home. 

In addition to promoting Spanish literacy and reading comprehension, the group focuses on English as a second language course. It welcomes international volunteers to teach English classes and use the distribution of learning technology to include English learning games and programs. 

Literacy can change a child’s life and support the prosperity of an entire community. 

– Nikki Bayat
Photo: Flickr