Kids living in densely populated urban areas can face school deserts, too. In Kawangware and Kibera slums (Nairobi), children face an hour or more trek through a maze of alleyways and makeshift paths to reach the nearest school. It is a dangerous and confusing journey for anyone, much less a primary-age child, and all the more challenging when it rains.

Many kids just don't go. They get swallowed up by the streets; uneducated and illiterate, their future is bleak.

To address these challenges, many urban slum neighborhoods have started Alternative Provision for Basic Education and Training (APBET) schools. These are community based programs that give kids basic education opportunities taught by parents, volunteers, and occasional teachers. Neither public nor private, they do what they can with small donations from their community and charitable sources. 

Reading the World is partnering with State University of New York New Paltz Science of Reading Center to train faculty at two Nairobi APBET schools in reading instruction fundamentals. This pilot program gives teachers at Jamii Community Center School in Kibera and Sifa Community Center School in Kawangware access to SUNY microcredential certification in the science of reading.

In addition to monthly training sessions with SUNY professors, Reading the World will support teachers and students with assessments, implementation instruments, and instructional supplies. We already delivered laptops to Sifa for teachers to access the online learning components. 

Train the trainer: teacher leaders in both schools will also receive additional support to become trainers at other APBET schools in evidence-based reading instruction. Like a ripple in a pond, this professional development component ensures the learning spreads across the slums, cities, and country.