Bringing education to the airways

In Uganda, schools have been closed since March. And it doesn’t look like schools will be opening anytime soon. While schools around the world have been responding to the pandemic and school closures with online learning this is certainly not a possibility here in northern Uganda.

READ for Life responded to the closure of schools with live education radio programs twice a day on two popular local radio stations: the listenership of one station alone is averaged at 3million for the program!

The daily radio shows include a combination of teaching children how to read, foundational mathematics skills, story time (in both English and local language) and advice to parents on how they can support their children at home. We ask children a few questions about reading, writing, maths and the story and they call in to answer correctly. It’s so encouraging to hear them engaged on the radio and we can tell that they are learning! We have received a fantastic response from the public! Especially parents who are grateful for this service and the tools they are learning over the radio to help teach their children.

We are up to our 73rd lesson on one radio station, and 68th lesson on the other.

We are the only organisation teaching on the radio in the north, providing the main form of education for children during this period.

Initially we thought this project would be a short-term ‘fix’ for when schools are closed; imagining schools would return one month after lockdown. But now, approaching four months down the road, it looks like we could remain on the radio until the end of the year.

We are grateful for the privilege of teaching children on the radio, and are certainly learning a lot about this new medium of teaching, however we need your help to continue. Radio airtime is not cheap, and we have to pay for every hour we are on! If you would like to support this work, please click on the Donation link.