Daring to Read
Helping children with learning difficulties from the most deprived backgrounds to read and write.
Target Group
Children with learning difficulties especially those without family support, those from deprived backgrounds and children in orphanages or institutional homes.
Objectives
In Kenya primary schooling is now free and open to all however chronic lack of funding means that schools have few teachers and no resources. Kids sit in classes of 100 or more without basic learning materials. For children with learning difficulties the situation is hopeless and they leave school without being able to read or write. In a poor and overcrowded country this condemns them to the the worst possible life. We are giving some of these children a chance at a better future by helping them to learn how to read and write and to overcome some of their learning difficulties.
Methods
Currently our work is based at a children’s home in Isiolo. Here we create a quiet space once a week where the children can come for individual lessons. We encourage the children to chose their work and set their own goals. A desire to learn and enjoyment of books is central to the success of this program so we try to provide books and learning materials that appeal to all ages and levels. With our support the children develop ways to deal with their specific learning difficulties which will help them in both normal education and in their future life. We also provide a library service so that they can borrow books to read in their own time. The children help to run the library which gives them responsibility, boosts their confidence and teaches them to respect and work successfully with others. By recruiting local volunteers to be mentors or ‘study buddies’ we are able to significantly increase the number of children we can help from any one centre.
What We Need
Books, fact and fiction, book storage, quiet space, writing equipment and stationary, volunteer mentors.
Without your help DARE would be unable to keep helping communities build a brighter, sustainable future. The money you donate ensures that our people can remain in Isiolo; our current projects can continue and future projects can be started.
DONATE TO DARE NOW
Daring Football
Daring Football is all about encouraging young people from the streets and deprived backgrounds to play football rather than get involved with drugs or criminal activities.
The passion that the local kids in Isiolo have for football is incredible. They all fervently support either Arsenal or Manchester United. The difference being part of a team and regularly taking part in sporting activites can make to the very poor, homeless and otherwise disadvantaged kids is amazing
Daring Enterprise
Daring Enterprise is about helping pastoralists in northern Kenya establish alternative sources of income to supplement their livelihood from livestock.
With additional sources of income the local pastoralst communities are better able to withstand the droughts, floods and livestock diseases that are so debilitating to the people of this harsh region.