The broad goal of ILead Program is to promote a reading culture among children living in rural areas and urban informal settlements by sensitizing them on the importance of education in relation to poverty alleviation. This is a program targeting children aged between 6 years and 15 years who are in primary schools. The ILead Program supplements academic learning by refocusing skills education for self-reliance and offers mentorship on life skills, education, talent & leadership.

PROBLEM DEFINITION Primary schools in urban slums of Kenya face socio-economic challenges which negatively impacts on education outcome. Some of the challenges faced by children and youths living in these areas include: 1. Environmental hazards e.g. poor sanitation 2. Unemployment 3. Insecure neighborhoods 4. Illiteracy 5. Poor reading culture 6. Lack of self-awareness exhibited by low self esteem The ILead Program seeks to address: 1. Poor reading culture 2. Illiteracy 3. Self-awareness 4. Unemployment The ILead Program is basically ment to supplement academic learning with training on how to read, write, spell and help children to learn how to express themselves with confidence. We want to raise a generation of young people who can articulate their views on matters both at community and national level. Our implementation methodology is that Literature Africa Foundation has trained volunteers who act as after school tutors for children in the Damascus and Makao schools in Korogocho slums. Each tutor is assigned to a class of students from Primary 1 to Primary 7 where they train and mentor the students on education, life skills, social skills, technical skills, art and leadership. The tutors also teach the children how to read, write and spell. We are working on having the teachers trained and equipped with modern day teaching methods in order to improve on the quality of how they deliver education.

Literature Africa Foundation (LAF) is currently running the ILead Program in Damascus School and Makao school in Korogocho Slums Nairobi in partnership with Hope For Future organization. In future, we intend to partner with the Government, Academia, the local communities and other civil societies so as to extend our scope and ensure successful implementation of the ILead Program. Hope For Future organization runs the 2 schools while Literature Africa Foundation runs the program and does all the reporting, monitoring and evaluation and general administration of the program. LAF has designed a curriculum which our volunteer educators, mentors and trainers use to educate the children especially on life skills and social skills.

Literature Africa Foundation, Kenya Hope for Future, Kenya