A widely recognized issue throughout Jordan and the Arab world is how little people read. Well-designed solutions created to encourage children to read more fail to accomplish their goal because they do not address the root cause of why children do not read: because they don’t like it. WLR aims to change this negative perception of reading through its innovative yet simple initiative aiming to increase reading among children aged 2–10 through group read-aloud sessions.

We run two training programs: the first to train locals to read to children in a fun way and the second to train trainers to help scale the movement.

The Reading Ambassador (RA) Training program at a glance:

• We collaborate with locals, CBOs, NGOs, governments, and private companies to train people to read aloud to children from their community in a fun way, making use of props, facial expressions, and intonation.
• The goal: to cultivate in children a love for reading.
• The program is flexible to suit each RA’s preferences. We teach RAs how to choose an appropriate public space to read in the neighborhood, how to select suitable books according to specific criteria (amusing, age appropriate, neutral in content, and written in the children’s native language), and how to communicate with the community about the program.
• After the session, each child takes a book to read at home with their family until the next session—avoiding the high cost of establishing a brick and mortar library

  The Training of the Trainers program at a glance:

• We coach people on how to train future Reading Ambassadors.
• The goal: to unify and mobilize the community to cultivate a love for reading among children.
• The rationale: providing local trainers with the ability to train new RAs will exponentially grow the movement and help sustain it.

A lack of easily accessible Arabic children’s books led us to create our own. Today, WLR has written over 30 books in Arabic that simultaneously amuse children and raise awareness on important subjects, with themes ranging from environmental concerns to gender inequality. These books are designed with local illustrators, authors, and consultants to support Jordan’s storytelling industry. They are distributed as part of our programs at the conclusion of the training and are also available for sale individually.

In addition to promoting the experience of reading, WLR’s program empowers readers to become more active in their communities. Women more often take on this role, which has the effect of shifting the community’s perception of women as being leaders and agents of change. WLR hopes that involving women more frequently at the table will create positive ripple effects throughout society.