Improving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy competencies Through Remediation Learning Camp

My Village

During the period, Zizi Afrique Foundation (ZAF) implemented My Village (MV) across the selected villages in Kilifi, Bungoma and Kitui counties. A baseline survey was conducted in October 2022, learning camps organized by village champions were held, learning assessments conducted, and an endline survey was accomplished in December 2023. A series of advocacy activities were also carried out.

As articulated in the project proposal, My Village sought to engage readily available youths, to coordinate implementation of learning camps in their communities. Individuals willing to volunteer were trained on assessment and literacy support for learners lagging on their reading skills and supported to engage the parents (through community conversations and home visits), promote a reading culture at home and school as well as nurture life skills among the adolescents. In return, the youth champions would be enrolled for leadership training.

Over the period, the project engaged 293 youth champions spread across 98 villages in three counties. The villages were selected based on poor performance, and further the language of intervention (whether English or Kiswahili), decided based on the baseline results. The project pursued three outcomes namely,

 a) Foundational literacy and numeracy competences increased through participation in learning camps. This involved reskilling youths on the accelerated learning approach and supporting them to deliver targeted sessions to improve the reading skills of selected children. During the period, MV assessed 6,699 households comprising 1,166 in Kitui, 3,756 in Bungoma and 1,777 in Kilifi counties. Further this exercise assessed 4,342 learners at baseline and 10,303 at endline. 

 b) Community agency activated and nurtured for improved foundational learning outcomes. Under this outcome, the project proposed spurring the agency of different stakeholders, including parents, to support learning at home and establishing community libraries. Community level stakeholders would then establish structures for accountability to ensure optimal engagement of each stakeholder, and the ultimate performance of children in the community.  

c) Youth capacities on leadership and community development strengthened. Acknowledging that youth have potential, My Village sought to empower them as agents of change in their communities by facilitating ongoing engagement through a community of practice, training and certification on selected modules as well as enhancing access to information on life skills and values.   

Throughout the 17 months of active engagement with communities, the youth were instrumental in championing all the project activities by volunteering for assessment, volunteering to facilitate learning camps and life skills sessions, and going an extra mile to engage families and community-based stakeholders on the need to consolidate their support towards learning. A selected cohort participated in a leadership program for six months. As a result,

  a) Over 15,000 learners have been assessed to establish their literacy and numeracy levels. These findings informed the selection of project sites, and children in need of remedial support.       During the August 2023 baseline assessment, learners were assessed to establish their literacy levels in English proficiency. At the endline the learners were assessed in English, Kiswahili, and numeracy competencies. Of the learners assessed at the baseline, only 52% of them could read a story in Kiswahili. Of those who were assessed at the endline, only 56% and 46% could read a story in Kiswahili and English respectively.  

3,292 children (1,644 boys and 1,648 girls) participated in the learning camps and were supported to improve their literacy competences, over a 30-day intervention cycle. However, not all the children who were enrolled in the camps completed the 30 days in the learning camps. For the cohort of children participating in English camps, the project recorded a dropout rate of 22% (484/2223). Inconsistent attendance was even higher in villages implementing Kiswahili camps, whereby 164 children (46%) enrolled but did not completely participate during learning camps. This low fidelity in attendance during the camps was the most significant challenge encountered while implementing My Village. Even though the objective was to host the learning camps at the community level, schools emerged as the most preferred spaces for organizing such sessions. A survey during quarter four monitoring revealed that schools accounted for 38%, while churches and parent compounds tied at 25% each.

Tracking progression over the intervention cycle, 89% of the children who had attended at least three learning camps in English, progressed by at least one level, compared to 86% in the Kiswahili cohort. Additionally, within at least 30 days, 45% could read a story in English compared to 43% in Kiswahili. Notably, the villages under Kiswahili intervention had the lowest learning levels at baseline and recorded slightly lower gains over the project's period.

Parental engagement in learning improved over the period. Due to the community conversations, some parents offered their compounds as learning spaces for the children during the camps. Notably, the project convened 582 community conversations reaching 7,598 parents. Analysis of attendance data showed that there was a significantly higher number of females attending these conversations at any given time, compared to their male counterparts. In quarter four only, of the villages surveyed, 72% of parents attending community conversations were mothers/female guardians. Besides parents, the role of schools, village elders and headteachers emerged as critical, even while pursuing community-based interventions.

Establishing community libraries required more investment and logistical support to manage established centers. The project opted for study packs which were distributed to 780 learners in 52 villages. This gesture excited communities the most, and learning camps recorded increased self-enrolment from across the village. Seemingly, there is appetite for reading but lack of or inadequate reading resources hinders sustained reading practices. Huge strides were made in strengthening a reading culture among learners. Of the villages reached during quarter four monitoring, a significant 73% read more than two times a week, emphasizing a prevalent and regular reading routine. Of these, 82% received reading assistance from their siblings while fathers and mothers assisted 23% and 18% respectively. For their support, learners requested for storybooks, timely payment of school fees, and technical assistance with reading activities.