Give the gift of literacy this Christmas and
help a child like Alice
For a child living in poverty, a book can be a place they can escape to, a place where they feel safe and a place they can learn valuable life lessons of courage and kindness.
This year, Christmas for 380,000 children who do not have a book to call their own at home won’t be filled with bed time stories about Rudolph and snowy adventures. For thousands of children, this Christmas may feel colder than usual and more lonely than usual. But with your help, a book and support can make its way to a child like Alice this Christmas.
Alice is 10 years old and dreams of being a doctor when she grows up.
Last Christmas we were told that Alice didn’t have any books of her own at home so with the help of UK Reads supporters, we were able to make sure that she received her very own book in time for Christmas.
We soon learned that this would be Alice’s only Christmas present – it was the BFG by Roald Dahl.
Life hasn’t been easy for Alice, asking for extra help at school took a lot of courage and some of the children’s unkind comments chipped away at her confidence. Alice had the reading age of a 7 year old and she found it quite hard to keep up in class. In addition, she relied on free school meals for her one hot meal of the day and more often than not, wore a stained school uniform.
Whilst Alice still faced challenges, her teacher told us that being able to take that book home, her one and only Christmas present, gave her a ‘much deserved confidence boost’.
380,000 children in the UK do not own a book of their own at home.
Please help us reach more children like Alice this Christmas.
Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success, more so than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or income (FCCM 2019).
What’s more, research shows that parents reading with their child for as little as 10 minutes a day can make a significant difference to the child’s achievement levels. This is why we need your help this Christmas.
Since Alice was supported to read stories at home, she has expanded her vocabulary, developed her literacy confidence and she can believe in her dream to become a doctor.
Please give a child like Alice the gift of literacy this Christmas.
A book is more than words on pages, it is the foundation of their development and wellbeing in vital and wonderous ways.
Thank you.
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World Literacy Foundation (WLF) aims to eradicate illiteracy by 2040. UK Reads – a WLF initiative focuses directly on the children impacted by illiteracy in the United Kingdom. This initiative provides children from disadvantaged backgrounds access to suitable, fun and engaging free books. New scientific research confirms that a child’s early years brain development shapes the adults they become, the success they achieve and the contributions they make to the economy and society. Research has also identified the “word gap” which means many children who grow up in low-income families enter school with substantially smaller vocabularies than their classmates. This disadvantage leads to further disparities in achievement and success over time, from academic performance, persistence to earnings and family stability, even 20 to 30 years later. UK Reads focuses on early intervention so that every child has the strongest chance to reach their full potential.
Our UK story so far… In 2005, the World Literacy Foundation started the transportation of children’s books to Africa and a few years later we expanded our programs to the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. In 2012 we began the World Literacy Summit at Oxford University, bringing together the global literacy community to build greater collaboration and partnerships. Due to its success, the summit was held again in 2014, 2018 and in 2020 we moved to a Covid-19 safe online conference. As a response to the vital need for UK children to have access to books at home, supporting parents to become their child’s first teacher and literacy support, UK Reads was launched in 2020. Our UK services will reach 2000+ children this year.
Mission To promote reading skills and literacy for children, beginning at birth to nineteen years old and to support parents to become their child’s first teacher Vision For every child in the UK to have access to free books and the literacy support they need by engaging and supporting families to understand the critical importance of childhood literacy and take a proactive role in their child’s reading development.Our global impact In 2019, the team reached more than 315,000 children and young people with our services in the US, Australia, UK, Africa, and Latin America – all thanks to generous donations and volunteer support. Literacy is the pathway to young people reaching their full potential.
Children today read less frequently than any previous generation and enjoy reading less than young people did in the past, according to new research. Flora Ferguson, with her storybooks. How I managed to raise a little bookworm in the age of smartphones and tablets Read more The work, to be published by the National Literacy Trust in the run-up to World Book Day on Thursday, shows that in 2019 just 26% of under-18s spent some time each day reading. This is the lowest daily level recorded since the charity first surveyed children’s reading habits in 2005. It also found that fewer children enjoy reading, and that this dwindled with age: nearly twice as many five to eight-year-olds as 14 to 16-year-olds said they took pleasure from reading. Overall, just 53% of children said they enjoyed reading “very much” or “quite a lot” – the lowest level since 2013. The poet and former children’s laureate Michael Rosen said the findings should act as a wake-up call for the government. “We have countless examples of research showing that children who read for pleasure widely and often are best able to benefit from what education offers. Berating parents, children or teachers for ‘failing’ will solve nothing. It [improving reading levels] needs full government backing, with as much money and effort as they put into compulsory phonics teaching, to support schools and communities in this.” The survey found a marked gender divide when it comes to reading for pleasure: less than half (47%) of boys were keen readers, compared with 60% of girls. A third of children surveyed reported being unable to find things to read that interested them. World Book Day, a charity event held annually in the UK and Ireland, will this year call on readers of all ages to “share a million stories” by reading aloud or listening to a story for at least 10 minutes a day with friends and family. World Book Day chief executive Cassie Chadderton said this activity can turn a reluctant reader into a child who reads for pleasure.