Introducing 400 Talking Books into 50 Early Childhood Development centers in rural Malawi to contribute to pre-literacy skills of children ages 4-6 years old.
Project Name
The Talking Book: Improving Literacy Among Pre-Primary Children in Rural Malawi
Location Implemented
Malawi
Technology Used
Assistive Technology, Software/Apps
Competition Entered
Ready2Read Challenge
Reading Skill Targeted
Pre-Reading
Status
Winner
Amount Award
up to $300,000
Collaborators/Partners
Amplio and the Association of Early Childhood Development in Malawi (AECDM)
The Challenge
Malawi ranks lowest in the region for educational performance. While primary enrollment rates are high, inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortages and large class sizes have translated into poor learning outcomes, particularly in literacy. Recent Malawian National Reading Assessments revealed that 74% of students in the second grade could not recognize a single alphabet letter.
The Big Idea
The project will introduce 400 Talking Books to 50 Early Childhood Education centers in Malawi to develop pre-literacy skills in children ages 4-6 years old. The Talking Book is a sustainable and durable battery-powered audio device that can deliver hours of content in rural areas. The project will adapt Malawi’s Early Childhood Development Curriculum into individual lessons that will be uploaded to the Talking Books, allowing students and families to listen and learn together.
