International Day of the Girl 2022

LitClub moms and girls working together on a communal chicken coop Innovation Project at Art of a Child, Uganda

Today is International Day of the Girl—a day dedicated to celebrating the billions of girls around the globe and raising awareness of the many challenges they still face.

When girls thrive, so do their communities. That's why a key part of LitWorld's programming centers on amplifying the voices of girls and women around the globe.

Our LitClubs and LitMoms Clubs provide women and girls across 30+ countries not only with safe spaces, a supportive network of peers, and invaluable literacy and business skills, but with the confidence they need to advocate for themselves and become leaders within their families, communities, and beyond.

An investment in girls is an investment in a brighter future for us all. Join us in listening to their voices and celebrating their strength—today and every day.

Meet Jarfsa—one of the amazing girls who discovered her confidence through LitClubs

Meet Jarfsa: a dynamic sixth-grader and LitClub member at Centre for Development, India.

When Jarfsa first began attending LitClubs at Centre for Development four years ago, she was utterly terrified of crossing the busy street that led to the building. There were times when she would be so frozen with fear that she would stand on the sidewalk unable to cross, often giving up and returning home to her family in tears.

When Jarfsa shared this problem with her friends in LitClub, they encouraged her to ask for assistance from fellow LitKids and community members—all of whom were happy to help. With their support, not only was she able to overcome her fear and cross the road all by herself, but she also gained the crucial self-confidence she needs to continue following her dreams—no matter what obstacles stand in her way.

Looking Back: The History of LitMoms Clubs

The Impact of LitMoms Clubs

“It takes a village to raise a child.”

At LitWorld, we know just how true this proverb is—especially when it comes to learning. In order to truly thrive, a child's learning cannot be limited to the confines of a classroom. Every child deserves access to a joyful learning environment at school and at home, and every caretaker deserves the chance to create one.

First piloted in 2012, LitMoms Clubs provide caretakers everywhere with the tools they need to support themselves and their families. By giving mothers access to the entrepreneurial training, literacy empowerment, and social support that so many women are often denied, LitWorld helps women become leaders in both their homes and communities—creating change for generations to come.

Recognizing the importance of family in a child's learning, LitWorld first developed LitMoms Clubs in 2012 to provide even further support for our partner communities. These revolutionary programs combined literacy empowerment and social support with income generation components such as technology training, sewing lessons, and food/nutrition workshops. Initially piloted in a few select locations, LitMoms Clubs now run in countries around the globe and have become an essential tool for supporting our partners.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, LitMoms played an especially pivotal role in their communities. At Art of a Child in Uganda, LitMom Jessica used the skills she learned in LitMoms Clubs to make and sell protective masks, preventing the spread of COVID-19 while earning income to support her family.

In Pakistan, LitMoms at Seeds of Hope took action by starting a friendly sewing competition to make face masks, which they then distributed for free. Safia, winner of the competition, stated that "[I] am really grateful to LitWorld and Seeds of Hope Foundation for giving me this opportunity to use my skills for the betterment of humanity in such a crucial circumstance."

LitMoms also proved vital in keeping kids learning throughout the pandemic. By reading aloud together and sharing activities they had learned in LitMoms Clubs, mothers at Ready for Reading in Rwanda were able to keep their families safe, engaged, and hopeful despite school closures and shutdowns.

Stories from the Field & Our World Read Aloud Day Impact!

Stories from the Field

At Ready for Reading in Rwanda, LitMom Claudine Uwase shared how the read-alouds in LitMom Clubs with mentor Athanasie have inspired her to to take a more active role in her family, strengthening a new generation of learners.

“Before joining the LitMom's Club, l didn’t read with my kids—not because l didn’t have time, but because I didn't know it was important. After joining LitMom's Club, I've gotten to know the importance of connecting with my kids through stories. I had considered reading with kids as a very hard task that required higher education and experience. I didn’t think that it can be started small by reading picture books... [But] I can testify that these activities are helping my family be close and stay connected.”

- Claudine

Mentor Athanasie working with local mothers during a LitMom's Club session.

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Our Impact Together

This February, millions of readers and writers joined together for a truly inspiring 13th annual World Read Aloud Day! Check out a few of the big numbers below, and click here to learn more about all of the many incredible celebrations that took place around the globe.

Celebrating and Supporting Women Who Lead this Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day is less than a week away, and this year we are celebrating by shining a light on some of the many incredible women in our LitWorld family who help their communities stay strong - through COVID-19 and beyond!

From sewing and distributing face-masks to reading aloud with children and creating a new generation of leaders, we are beyond thankful for these role-models and honored to support their journeys with Moms LitClubs.

Kenya Connect, Kenya

Laughter and chatter filled the room during the last Moms LitClub session at Kenya Connect as LitMoms worked together word-by-word to tell a story, then used book illustrations to create their own stories! Afterwards, each LitMom borrowed a picture book to replicate the activity with their children and grandchildren, passing the knowledge and joy on to the next generation.

According to LitMom Anna, "The skills that I have acquired from LitClub have made me a teacher, and I am very confident that I can now teach my grandchildren... I have gained so much interest in reading. Whenever I go out to graze my cattle, I carry a book with me. What we are doing in Moms LitClub is really helping me a lot."

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Seeds of Hope Foundation, Pakistan

In the wake of COVID-19, LitMoms at Seeds of Hope Foundation took action by starting a friendly sewing competition to make face masks! Safia and Anum won with 230 and 150 masks made respectively, which they distributed to the community for free.

Safia told our partners that "she is really grateful to LitWorld and Seeds of Hope Foundation for giving her this opportunity to use her skills for the betterment of humanity in such a crucial circumstance." She also added that "in this epidemic, everyone needs to be optimistic and to act courageously to fight against this adversity."

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Ready for Reading, Rwanda

When LitClub mentor Sylvie was unable to join other Ready for Reading LitClub members for World Read Aloud Day this February, she did not get discouraged. Instead, she celebrated at her own home and led a read aloud with her family, encouraging a culture of learning and joy!

Like Sylvie, many LitMoms have been working hard to share skills they learned in Moms LitClubs with their families. Check out Josephine, Francoise, and Fortune reading aloud with their kids, instilling in them a love for reading and giving them the tools they need for a brighter future!

Moms LitClub with Ready for Reading in Rwanda is Going Strong!

LitWorld has partnered with Ready for Reading since their official founding in 2012 as they were breaking ground on their now vibrant library and resource center in Rwinkwavu, Rwanda. With the insight of Ready for Reading’s local team, we knew how valuable it would be to start programming to supplement their community outreach, even though there was not yet an official building for holding meetings!

Together, we set up Colette, a mother in the community, to have planning sessions and trainings over video chat with the LitWorld team, and learned from her what it would take to make a Moms LitClub work for her peers, from reading books aloud, to creating a safe space for self-expression and community-building, to providing small bags of cassava flour for each of the mothers to help them support their families with essentials.

We are so proud that this partnership and our Moms LitClub together have continued to flourish for almost nine years now, but don’t take our word for it! Watch the video below to hear straight from our Moms LitClub members about community-wide impact they have made.

We Did It - Thanks to You!

Thank you for helping LitWorld reach our fundraising goals this spring!

From providing food and basic supplies to in-need families in Pakistan to assisting LitMoms in Uganda as they make face masks for their neighborhoods, your support of LitWorld has impacted communities around the world.

To share some of the changes that you helped us make, we are thrilled to introduce Priscilla Mwambo, one of our Partnership Coordinators at Go Ye Therefore Zambia.

“At Go Ye Therefore Zambia, we are so grateful to LitWorld for the work they are doing. It really has been a wonderful experience. We didn’t know what to do when the pandemic began, but you did not give up on us.

We are so inspired and grateful to have you as our partners, standing with us in this time of difficulty. You helped us come up with something we could do during this time.The Virtual LitClubs have made us so happy and helped us be hopeful. It has improved our relationship with our local community and strengthened our partnership here with the Ministry of Education. It kept us going. It keeps us looking forward.

It’s a challenging time for everyone, but LitWorld and its supporters did not give up. You kept thinking of how to help us in Zambia, and how you could help support your partners everywhere. We are so grateful that despite the difficult times in America, you are able to stand with us.”

- Priscilla Mwambo
Partnership Coordinator, Go Ye Therefore, Zambia

When schools closed in Zambia, your support helped keep our 120 LitKids at Go Ye Therefore engaged and connected through Virtual LitClubs. These programs were celebrated with a “Virtual LitClub Opening Ceremony” and covered on television - the first event of its kind in the country.

Through our partnership, Go Ye Therefore was able to purchase phones for LitKids who had been isolated at home due to COVID-19. These phones not only provided a lifeline to connect with the outside world, but allowed LitKids to stay in touch with mentors for regular read-alouds, check-ins, and activities while schools remain closed.

On behalf of the LitWorld community in Zambia and all around the world, thank you for helping to ensure that children everywhere can stay safe and supported, and will always have a place to share their stories.

To the Women Who Inspire Us: A Mother’s Day Celebration

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, all of us at LitWorld are thinking about the women in our lives who have inspired us.

This includes celebrating all of the moms, caretakers, and female role models who have strengthened us and shaped us into the people we are today. Their love and support is what keeps us going, and in the days of COVID-19, is more important than ever.

LitWorld Superhero Charlotte (center) with mom & sister in Rwanda

To show our appreciation, the LitWorld team is excited to share these truly amazing stories featuring some of the moms and women leaders from around the world! We are so proud to have them as part of our LitWorld family, and hope they help inspire you for this upcoming Mother’s Day.

Jessica
Art of a Child, Uganda

All of our LitMoms at Art of a Child in Uganda are working together to find new ways of supporting their families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. One amazing example is Jessica, who has begun making her own protective masks and selling them at a low cost to others in the community. By undertaking this initiative, she is able to support her family throughout the crisis, support public health, and act as an inspiration to other women, mothers, and daughters!

Ada Raquel Bonilla Rodrigues
Luceros del Amanecer, Nicaragua

In addition to raising her own son, Mateo, mother and mentor Ada Raquel also works tirelessly as a LitClub mentor at the Laguna Negra LitClub program for pregnant teens. She speaks with and empowers these girls, showing them just how bright their futures can be. Even as she’s expecting her second child, Ada Raquel visits local schools and runs her own weekly radio show, teaching young girls about safe sex and early pregnancy prevention.

Phares Kafula
Go Ye Therefore, Zambia

Using the entrepreneurial skills she learned at Moms LitClub, Phares and the other LitMoms in Zambia have started a community garden outside a local school. They sell what they grow back to the community, earning both financial security for their families and valuable self-confidence for themselves. “We have learnt how to achieve our goals,” says Phares. “They say that an opportunity knocks once. This is that opportunity. We are so grateful and thankful. We are changed persons.”

Madiha Istiak
Seeds of Hope, Pakistan

Madiha attends the Mom’s Sewing LitClub at Seeds of Hope in Pakistan. Her formal education ended at primary school, but she loves sewing and is always eager to contribute during club activities, readily offering help to the other LitMoms.

LitClub has boosted Madiha’s confidence greatly, and she now realizes the importance of education - especially for girls. “I’m happy because I’m useful” she says. “LitClub helped me realize my worth and be productive in society.”

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Seeds of Hope Foundation, Pakistan 

For their 2019 Mother’s Day celebration, moms from the Seeds of Hope Foundation in Pakistan visited the Najina sewing center where they practiced sewing skills, along with various activities focused around self-empowerment and basic literacy activities from the Mom’s Club. The year before, they celebrated Mother’s Day with their children, many of whom are also enrolled in Seeds of Hope, who honored their moms with beautiful letters of appreciation that they wrote and illustrated themselves.

If you want to join us in celebrating these incredible women in our lives, why not make a donation in someone’s honor as your Mother’s Day gift? You’ll be making a difference for women everywhere by helping us provide moms with life-changing access to literacy and entrepreneurship training, making them become leaders of both their families and communities. You will also receive a special virtual postcard that can be printed or shared online, making it the perfect present for anyone you donate in honor of - near or far!

From all of us at LitWorld, we wish women, leaders, and moms everywhere a happy Mother’s Day!