Enabling Writers Creates Thousands of Books in Local Languages for Students in Six Countries

Approximately 387 million primary school children around the globe, many of whom are in school, cannot read proficiently. Access to low-cost materials in languages students understand is a major contributing factor. Aristarick Lyimo, Training and Curriculum Specialist with Reading within Reach (REACH) explains how the Enabling Writers (EW) Workshop Program uses the award-winning Bloom software and its templates to allow local authors to produce books at a reduced cost - compared to traditional book publishing - using an easy-to-implement workshop model that builds local capacity and engages school feedback into the production of quality and decodable and leveled books.

Nearing completion of its pilot period, the Enabling Writers (EW) Workshop Program has demonstrated success of the model. Surpassing project targets, teams of EW writers in six countries have produced more than 3,500 titles for uploading to the newly launched Global Digital Library, Bloom online library, and other digital library platforms. As open-sourced material, the books are available for free downloads to schools and students' tech devices - accessible in the classroom and at home.