Launching a Social Movement for Literacy in Ghana

WALTHAM, MA | EDC will lead Ghana Innovating, a project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development to expand literacy in the West African nation. Grounded in local language, the four-year, $10.5 million project will award hundreds of local grants and train thousands of community volunteers to encourage a culture of reading at home and in the community.

EDC will work closely with Participatory Development Associates (PDA), a local partner who will network with community organizations and agencies to promote reading in the community. The project will develop culturally appropriate strategies informed by results of the local Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), a household survey that asks about basic reading, math, and language skills, as well as school enrollment and family characteristics. The survey will provide a snapshot of academic abilities and access to and attitudes about education.

“The opportunity to reinforce in the community and at home the excellent literacy work being promoted by USAID in the classroom is really exciting. It’s a critical piece of the reading puzzle that is often overlooked,” said EDC’s Simon Richmond. “Ghana Innovating will focus on literacy outside of school, encourage reading by families, and explore creative uses of traditional and social media to empower parents to read with their children. We want to launch a social movement for reading.”

The project includes the use of volunteers, connections with private-sector businesses to promote home-based reading, and a broad program of small grants to local organizations that develop plans to promote literacy. Specifically, Ghana Innovating will:

• Train more than 2,700 community-based volunteers to facilitate ASER
• Support more than 57,000 children with community-led, extra-curricular activities
• Raise the number of households where parents read with their children to 60 percent
• Award more than 900 grants to local organizations under contract to improve literacy
• Reach more than 17 million Ghanaians through mass media messages and activities that promote reading

EDC designs and implements literacy programs in some of the world’s most challenging environments, providing customizable options for a variety of learners. Learn more about EDC’s work to expand early childhood learning.

EDC designs, implements, and evaluates programs to improve education, health, and economic opportunity worldwide. Visit www.edc.org.