At nine years old, Keith can now pick up almost any book and read it with ease. But just a few years ago, he couldn’t read a single word.
When Keith enrolled at Blue Star Community School in 2020, he was a shy, gentle young boy with a big smile who struggled with the basics of reading and writing. The following year, Blue Star partnered with Impact One and began taking part in both management and teacher trainings. As teachers were equipped with new skills, especially Jolly Phonics, literacy began to take root at the school.
9-Year-Old Keith
Keith is one of the children who has grown up right alongside that transformation. His teachers, now trained and mentored in how to teach literacy, guided him step by step. They sang songs, played games, read stories, making learning more exciting and fun. Slowly, Keith began to step out of his shell, and his confidence began to grow.
By last year, when he was eight, Keith had already reached the Pink Level in our color-level reading system (a level for slightly above average readers). This year, he amazed us yet again. Now in Grade 4, at nine years old, he has advanced to Double Yellow Level, the second highest (he has progressed two levels up) in our system. In other words, Keith can read nearly everything you and I can read!
For a child his age, growing up in Ng’ombe and enrolled in a community school, this is an extraordinary accomplishment.
But the truth is, Keith’s story is rare. Across Zambia, thousands of children reach the age of 13 without ever learning to read or write. Not because they aren’t capable, but because their teachers are not equipped to teach literacy effectively. In many community schools, teachers have not completed high school or college themselves, and children are passed from one grade to the next without ever learning the basics. The result is a vicious cycle of illiteracy that limits children from realizing their full potential.
At Impact One, we are breaking that cycle. Through ongoing teacher training and mentoring, schools like Blue Star are seeing real, lasting change. Children are learning to read at the right age, and with that, they are finding the confidence to express themselves.
Rita, the school director, shared Keith’s progress with pride:
“Keith has continued to amaze us all,” she said with a smile. “He is a bright child, and his future is even brighter. Our teachers have worked hard to teach him how to read, but what’s more, his parents have also stepped in to support him at home. It’s been an all-round learning experience that shows what’s possible when teachers and parents work together.”
Keith’s journey is proof that when teachers are empowered, children flourish. There is so much potential waiting to be unlocked in these children, and Keith is a perfect example. His story shows the kind of potential that often lies hidden, waiting for the right people to nurture and bring it out. Today, his classmates look up to him, and his journey is inspiring many more. By supporting Impact One, you’re not only helping children like Keith, but you’re also equipping teachers who will go on to impact countless more lives.
Join us in rewriting the literacy story one school, one teacher, one child at a time.