Guyana is among a group of countries set to benefit from education non-profit group Change 1 Child which aims to boost the reading skills of children.

According to a press release Change 1 Child provides free books and reading assistance and is currently most active in the United States. Representatives read with children in struggling schools twice per month with the goal of helping at least 80% of them improve their reading scores during the school year.

The initiative will also be undertaken in Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Indonesia, India and in the Philippines. According to founder Simone Adjei the idea for the group stemmed from an article about several New York public schools closing. The schools “had failed to reach standards set by the board of education and Change 1 Child wanted to help children in schools in need of improvement,” the release said.

Adjei said, “If just one child is enriched, encouraged and motivated to read more and develop a love for learning through this initiative, then we have done our job.” Change 1 Child plans to boost the reading skills of children living in disadvantaged communities who do not have access to the same resources to as children who attend schools that are better supported.

The group also started a literacy initiative to encourage children in early childhood to develop a love for reading so that it can elevate them out of poverty. It also focuses on children’s education and related issues such as child labour. For more information the public can log on to the group’s website located at http://www.change1child.org/