On this International Day of the Girl Child, UNICEF is shedding light on the critical divide between girls’ and boys’ access to digital. Here's how Worldreader is changing that.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity to tackle systematic failures and end inequalities. Rather than going back to our old ways, how can we build back better?

Read to Kids is an early childhood program that seeks to promote pre-literacy skills by encouraging parents, caregivers and teachers to read to and with their young children (age 0-8). The program empowers them to do so by giving them access and providing training to use Worldreader Kids mobile app, a free digital library of high quality, locally relevant books and educational materials. More at https://www.worldreader.org/our-solution/programs/pre-reading/.

Mayada, a Syrian refugee living in Jordan, has helped her daughter overcome her low self-esteem by reading digital books to her via the Worldreader library on her mobile phone.

Shadya is a mother of four. She loves reading and encourages her children to do the same. She reads to her children regularly using Worldreader's digital library on her mobile phone and says that it has strengthened the bond between her and her children.

The Worldreader Kids - Tuta Tuta mobile app allows parents and caregivers to access 250 free high-quality Arabic and English books for all children up to 12 years of age. Worldreader worked with leading Arabic children’s publishers to bring together a collection of storybooks for children that helps develop reading skills, fosters imagination and opens a diverse collection of books to families previously unable to afford books. The Worldreader Kids - Tuta Tua app is promoted via an innovative mobile reading program designed to encourage frequent reading to young children in Jordan which launched in 2018.

The Worldreader Kids app is a reading app designed for parents and caregivers to give them the tools needed to read to and with their children. It offers over 500 free children's books in Hindi, English and Arabic from over 30 publishers such as Pratham Books, Tulika, DK Publishers and Pearson.

Lalita, a mother of two in Delhi, India, was forced to leave school at a young age and was married by the time she was 14 years old. Now, she reads to her daughters every night so they can have a better future.

Shivana and Rumana are two sisters from Delhi, India, aged 15 and 16 respectively. These two sisters use the Read to Kids app on their mobile phone to read stories to children in their community. 

Pradeep is a father of 2 boys who now regularly reads to his sons using the Read to Kids app. Like many of the parents we have spoken to, Pradeep says it has been an essential source of growth for his children.

Worldreader, in collaboration with Society for All-Round Development (SARD), designed and deployed a Read to Kids digital reading program, which focused on improving early reading development with an emphasis on increased teacher, parental, and caregiver engagement.