Equipping youth to address barriers to child literacy in their communities
The Grand Challenge
Children are not achieving minimum proficiency in reading.
More than 90 percent of primary-age children in low-income countries and 75 percent of children in lower-middle income countries – more than 387 million children – are not expected to read or do basic math by the end of primary school. In South Africa, 78 percent of Grade 4 students are unable to read a basic story.
The Big Idea
Digital learning game that prepares youth to tackle illiteracy in their communities.
At the core of social innovation are new ideas that work to meet pressing unmet needs and improve peoples’ lives. Research shows that engaging more young people in finding solutions is critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and creating sustainable change.
Leaders for Literacy is a digital learning game developed by All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development in partnership with Pearson, Project Literacy and the World Bank. The project was adapted from Evoke, originally developed by the World Bank, to equip youth with 21st century and social innovation skills to create solutions that address barriers to literacy, beginning in their own communities.
Leaders for Literacy
Latest Research & Resources
Andre’s Story
This illustrated short story takes readers into the future and introduces the challenges with not learning to read.Digital Game-Based Learning for the Global South
DL4D examines the role of digital games in enhancing quality, equity and efficiency in Global South classrooms and other learning environments.Hugh Jackman supports the All Children Reading Grand Challenge
On International Literacy Day, actor and World Vision spokesman Hugh Jackman voiced his support for efforts to improve literacy for children in developing countries through ACR GCD.TEDxCERN: Reading for a billion, with Bollywood
PlanetRead President Brij Kothari asks from the TEDxCERN stage, "Imagine for a moment that you wake up and were unable to read, what would be the consequences in your life?"MobiLiteracy: Developing a Literacy Rich Home Environment in Kampala, Uganda Utilizing Mobile
Learn more about Planet Read's MobiLiteracy, a series of reading lessons available on basic phones for parents to use with young children in Uganda.
Leaders for Literacy
Latest Updates
The unexpected way that Bollywood could help millions
Yashoda Lakshman Keni, a resident in rural India, hops on the bus to a nearby village to visit relatives. Three years ago, she might not have been able to make that trip to see her family.What caused Maharashtra’s leap in reading?
Something very encouraging just happened in the Early Grade Reading (EGR) landscape of Maharashtra, India’s second largest state with a population of 120 million people.A Papal Education
In September, the UN and Pope Francis both called on the international community to fight poverty and preserve the environment. At the center of these efforts will be education.