Every child deserves to read.
Why reading?
Because reading changes everything.
1 in 3 Grade 2 children in Ethiopia cannot read a single word.
The classroom teaches to the grade, not the child. Math, science, history, and every other subject depend on reading. Children who fall behind in reading fall behind in everything.
See the difference - →
Girls fall out of school first when they fall behind in reading.
Girls who can't read by Grade 3 are 4 more likely to leave school before it ends. Illiteracy is often the first quiet reason a girl's education stops.
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Every year of school missed costs 10% in lifetime earnings.
A child who can't read is less likely to finish school. A child who does not finish school earns less every year, for the rest of their life. The gap starts in reading and ends in poverty.
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Illiteracy doesn't stay with one generation.
When parents can't read, children grow up without a reader at home. The gap starts before school, not at school. No classroom alone is designed to fix that.
See the difference - →EGRA data Oromia, Ethiopia 2015
Before any tutoring, 57 out of 100 Grade 2 children in Oromia cannot read a single word.
Reading level distribution from the USAID Early Grade Reading Assessment, Oromia Region, 2015. Oral reading fluency measured in Afaan Oromoo.
n = 1,194 Grade 2 students Oromia schools
Reading Corps starts here: assess every child individually, then group by actual reading level, not grade.
So what changes?
Reading Corps places each child in a small group matched to their current level, not their grade. Local tutors work daily until every child moves up at least one level.
How Reading Corps works - →Source: USAID-funded Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), Oromia Region, Ethiopia, 2015. Conducted by RTI International for USAID/Ethiopia. Oral reading fluency benchmarks in Afaan Oromoo, Grade 2.
$100,000 funds five Reading Corps schools for 600 children for a full year.
Every year the system doesn't catch them up, children fall further behind. Five Reading Corps schools change that for 600 children and give us the checked results to decide whether to expand: five schools, grades 2-4, local tutors, a full 12-month program per school, public results.
Children who cannot read by Grade 3 are 4 more likely to drop out before completing primary school and earn 10% less for every year of schooling missed. (UNESCO / Psacharopoulos & Patrinos)
Fund the First CycleFounder story
A child who cannot read cannot learn. That is what BiftuSpark exists to change.
We are building the bridge between donors who care about education and checked reading results in Ethiopia. One reading cycle. Local tutors. Public results. Then more, until every child has a tutor who meets them where they are.
Read about BiftuSparkAssess. Group. Tutor. Reassess.
The Reading Corps follows the core Teaching at the Right Level pattern: check each child individually, group by current level, practice daily, and measure again.
Where the work begins
A country-wide challenge, one carefully measured school pilot.
We are running the first cycle in government schools in Assela, Oromia, in partnership with the Oromia Education Bureau.
Ready to take action?
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