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What We Do

Our mission is to inspire in children a love of reading.
Reading is a key life skill, which equips people to thrive in society. It is a gateway skill that leads to many other opportunities.
We are inspiring a love of reading in Zambian children by modeling excellent reading. We are developing questioning, enquiry and discussion, which are vital life skills. This will lead to improved literacy, enhanced life skills and greater opportunities.
We are developing a team that will model good literacy teaching, and reading skills, encouraging Zambian teachers and other adults to develop their own love of reading, and giving them the skills necessary to share this love of reading with many more Zambian children.
We are starting small and, in time, we will aim to train teams of Zambian volunteers who will go into different parts of the city, and beyond, to work with disadvantaged children.

Who we are

Val Harwood: "I am the founder of the Reading Box. I worked for many years as an infant teacher in Sidmouth, UK. In 2010 we moved to Lusaka, Zambia and have lived there for the past 13 years.   We moved back to the UK in 2023 but continue to run The Reading Box from the UK. We have four children and seven grandchildren . Our aim is to make a difference for good where ever we are and The Reading Box is part of that plan."

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The Need

- The Zambian literacy rate is below 60%, with illiteracy more pronounced in women than in men.
- About half of all Zambian children do not achieve even basic literacy levels.
- About half of the population is below 15 years of age.
- There is no culture of reading to children for enjoyment, or as a way to encourage reading skills.
- It is generally accepted that low levels of literacy, and education in general, negatively affect the economic development of a country.
- Teaching methods are based on rote learning.
- Class sizes can be huge – sometimes up to 90 or more children in one class.
-Many children leave school early or have interrupted education due to parents not being able to afford school fees or the cost of the school uniform.
- Many girls are not educated as they are considered more useful at home.
- Very few children have access to books or other reading materials.

The problem is immense.

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The Plan

Our plan is very simple. It requires some books, time and enthusiasm! As resources and skills become available, the impact of the project will grow. We intend to involve the local church in this project and for it to be part of its service to the poor and vulnerable. This is how the project is working:


Teaching Reading Skills

- Books are taken into communities - into schools, churches, community halls, shanty compounds.

- Stories are read to children purely for their enjoyment.

-Children are allowed to explore a range of reading materials and to just enjoy the books.

- Small groups of children are taught reading skills using phonics.

- Groups are also being set up for teaching adult literacy.

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Training the trainers

- The teachers and helpers in the community are given training around how to read stories in a fun and interactive way, encouraging the important life skills of discussion, enquiry and questioning.

- The teachers and helpers in the community are taught how to teach reading, using phonics.

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How can you help?

- Raise awareness of the need and the project.

- Donate books towards the project.

- Give or fundraise for money to cover the cost of shipping and operating expenses.


In the UK, the project funding is kindly handled by ZEMS, which will increase the value of your gift through Gift Aid if you are a UK tax payer. To make donations, please go to this page, http://www.zemsupport.org/support.html There are several ways in which you can give. Please make sure you mention that you are donating to The Reading Box as there are several charities that ZEMS supports. 

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Donating books

We would love you to donate books. Please ensure the books are in good condition.  The list below contains some suggestions of books which would be ideal to donate.   Thank you so much.  

 

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Booklist

Below are some book suggestions. We also recommend the following authors:

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Julia Donaldson

Jill Murphy

Eric Carle

Michael Rosen

Giles Andreae

Eileen Browne

Colin West

Shirley Hughes

Babette Cole

Martin Waddell

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We ask that you avoid donating books that have witches, dinosaurs, owls and princesses. These things are not part of the Zambian culture and we would like books to be relevant and meaningful for the children reading them.

 

 

The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson

 

The Gruffalo’s Child – Julia Donaldson

 

Can’t You Sleep Little Bear? – Martin Waddell

 

Peace At Last – Jill Murphy

 

Five Minutes Peace – Jill Murphy

 

Guess How Much I Love You – Sam McBrackney

 

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch – Ronda and David Armitage

 

Any Dr Seuss books

 

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen

 

Quiet Night In – Jill Murphy

 

The Tiger Who Came To Tea – Judith Kerr

 

I Love You to the Moon and Back – Tim Warnes

 

Monkey Puzzle – Julia Donaldson

 

Quiet – Paula Bright

 

The Cuddliest Cuddle in the World – Sarah Nash

 

Giraffes Can’t Dance – Giles Andreae

 

The Big Wide Mouthed Frog - Elan Martin Lavranaga

 

Handa’s Surprise – Eileen Browne

 

The Rainbow Fish – Marcus Pfister

 

The Crocodile Who Didn’t’ Like Water– Gemma Merino

 

Go Tell it to the Toucan – Colin West

 

Hello Great Big Bullfrog – Colin West

 

Not Me Said the Monkey – Colin West

 

Pardon said the Giraffe – Colin West

 

Prince Cinders – Babette Cole

 

Dogger – Shirley Hughes

 

Dear Zoo – Rod Campbell

 

My Dad is a Giraffe – Stephen Michael King

 

The Selfish Crocodile – Faustin Charles

Contact Us

Get in touch with The Reading Box to discover more about our work and how to donate. We thank you for your support.

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