A Father Opens His Home to Help Children Read
Kifle, a 40-year-old farmer and father of two, resides in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples region of Ethiopia. Kifle, renowned for his hard work on his farm to feed his family, always dreamed of a brighter future for his children. But it wasn't just his children alone that mattered to Kifle; he had a deep heart of caring for all the children of his village.
He noticed that children, including his own, were struggling to read, write, and count, appropriate to their age. “Children who are in grade six cannot even read and write their names properly. This is so sad and broke my heart. And, I said to myself, ‘this is not right,” Kifle recalls.
After World Vision conducted community mobilisation and awareness creation on the impact of literacy on children's learning in the village, kifle quickly made a groundbreaking decision, taking the lead in mobilising the community to break the hurdle, while opening his own house for children to read in their spare time. Now, every weekend, around ten children flock to Kifle’s house to read storybooks. "I am happy to see children in my compound gathered to learn, making it a centre of change," Kifle explains proudly.
In fact, at first, Kifle’s move was not welcomed by some of the community members, saying, “Why should children go to Kifle’s house in a place where we have a formal school for our children”? But this attitude couldn’t last long, for things began to change bit by bit, proving that several children who were once not performing well in their reading, writing, and numeration have now started to improve. This transformation wasn’t by chance. Kifle had partnered with World Vision from the very beginning, and together they introduced a reading camp staffed with dedicated facilitators who are always present to guide and encourage the learners. As parents saw progress, their interest grew, and Kifle’s reading camp has started to yield more results.
Wasi is a resident of the village, and one of his children attends the reading session at Kifle’s house "Before my son joined the reading sessions at Kifle's house, he had little interest in reading. But since he started going to Kifle’s reading sessions, I’ve seen a big difference. He now reads letters, words, and even stories to us at home. He also teaches his younger siblings letters he’s learned.” He speaks with a full sense of happiness.
11-year-old boy Mamushi is one of the reading group members at Kifle’s house. He says, "Earlier, I didn’t know how to read the words in my book, and I was afraid. But since I came to Kifle’s house, I started learning little by little. Now I can read stories. I love coming here because we read and play.”
Not only did the children of the village attend the reading session, but Kifle's child was also one of the participants. “It is a pleasure to see children, including mine, Filimon, enjoying a fruitful time with their peers, chanting and learning here at my courtyard. I feel I am so blessed,” Kifle concludes.
Kifle’s effort was a perfect example of community mobilisation. It showed what becomes possible when one person dares to take the first step. His initiative didn’t just make a difference; it sparked a movement that changed lives.
By Samuel Zerihun, Communications Coordinator (Education), World Vision Ethiopia