USAID Let's Read Success Story: Chadiza District Education Board

The program's training has empowered Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Chairpersons, Head Teachers, and Ministry of General Education staff to address the challenges of low literacy levels and high truancy rates. One of the key successes of the program is the engagement of PTA members, such as Sofia Mbewe, who has been actively involved in promoting literacy in her community. Mbewe's experience is a testament to the program's effectiveness in empowering women to take on leadership roles. As one of the few female PTA Vice Chairpersons in the district, she has been encouraged by the District Reading Team to continue sensitizing the community on the importance of literacy. Mbewe credits the USAID Let's Read program for providing training on how to mobilize communities to improve literacy in schools, and she has seen firsthand the impact of this training on her community. The program's focus on community engagement and parental support has been a key factor in its success. By working closely with PTA members and Head Teachers, the program has been able to supplement the literacy education provided in schools and provide additional support to pupils. As DEBS Mwenya notes, "Our role is to ensure we maximize the learning of literacy by supplementing what is being taught at school. How can we fail, when the language of instruction at school is our familiar language? For pupils to excel they need support from both teachers and parents." To date, the USAID Let's Read program has trained 938 PTA Chairmen and women from the five provinces in literacy activities, and it is planning to roll out the same to approximately 3,800 more schools. The program's success in Chadiza District and beyond is a testament to the power of community-led initiatives in improving literacy levels and promoting education. By empowering PTA members and Head Teachers to take ownership of literacy education, the program has been able to make a lasting impact on the lives of pupils and communities across Eastern Zambia.