Reading club helps Lesline's love of reading grow

Nine-year-old Lesline, who lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has a passion for stories and books, but for a long time she found it difficult to read them for herself. In school, she struggled to write the words dictated by her teacher, and every time she opened a book, the words seemed to dance across the page, getting mixed up with each other. This frustrated her enormously, because she wanted so much to discover the wonderful stories hidden between the pages.In her first year of school, Lesline's teacher, Delphin, identified her struggles in reading and writing. Lesline earned a grade of less than 40% in the subject that year. When she continued to earn low marks into her second year, her teacher’s concern deepened, but without the right textbooks, he struggled to help her. “Every time Lesline failed in reading and writing, I tried to insist on her learning, but because of a lack of textbooks, she always had difficulties,” Delphin says.Lesline is not alone. According to the World Bank, even before the learning disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 6 in 10 children globally could not read and understand a basic text by age 10. And that rate is even worse in sub-Saharan Africa, with nearly 9 in 10 children unable to read at this basic level by age 10. [A girl with a big smile holds up a laminated paper.]( Reading club helps Lesline's love of reading grow Nine-year-old Lesline, who lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has a passion for stories and books, but for a long time she found it difficult to read them for herself. In school, she struggled to write the words dictated by her teacher, and every time she opened a book, the words seemed to dance across the page, getting mixed up with each other. This frustrated her enormously, because she wanted so much to discover the wonderful stories hidden between the pages. In her first year of school, Lesline's teacher, Delphin, identified her struggles in reading and writing. Lesline earned a grade of less than 40% in the subject that year. When she continued to earn low marks into her second year, her teacher’s concern deepened, but without the right textbooks, he struggled to help her. “Every time Lesline failed in reading and writing, I tried to insist on her learning, but because of a lack of textbooks, she always had difficulties,” Delphin says. [READ MORE]( [A woman stands, hands on her hips. Behind her is a mud hut with a thatched roof, and a newer building made of brick.]( A new way of seeing oneself Zione's outlook on her potential grew as she began to provide more for her family and achieve her dreams. [READ MORE]( [A girl stands with arms crossed in the foreground. Two other children in school uniforms stand in the background.]( Surrounded by community With the support of her mother, her teachers, and other community leaders, Channy is ready to learn. [READ MORE]( [Aid workers rush to the scene of devastation after a deadly earthquake in Herat.]( Explore worldwide disaster responses When emergencies impact children around the world, World Vision responds swiftly with vital assistance. [READ MORE]( [A man in a World Vision vest walks toward others in smoldering ruins under an orange dusk sky.]( Prayer for disaster survivors God is with people suffering from disasters. Pray for survivors seeking safety and a chance to rebuild. [READ MORE]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [World Vision Youtube Channel]( [Instagram]( --------------------------------------------------------------- World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. [Read more about our work.]( World Vision, P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, WA 98063 1.888.511.6514 [Privacy Policy]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Sign In]( | Campaign = 400079765 | Donor No. = 106150834 Having trouble viewing this email? [View it online](.