Every child deserves the right to read

Children are at the heart of a global learning crisis

Right now, there is a crisis keeping children in generational poverty — one that almost never makes the news.

Written words are the gateway to knowledge, empowerment and opportunity; the way to a brighter future — but when a child is denied an opportunity to become a confident and capable reader, their lives are destined to be an uphill battle.

Today, approximately 90% of 10-year-old children in low-income countries cannot read and understand a simple text. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 202 million children are not meeting minimum proficiency levels in literacy.

Without urgent action, we risk turning this learning crisis into a global, generational learning catastrophe.

If we want all children to realize their right to read, we urgently need to tackle these critical barriers:

• Shortage of qualified teachers
• Lack of books and learning materials
• Unequal opportunities for girls

Until these barriers are eliminated, children around the world will continue to be denied their right to read — robbing them of their future potential.

Literacy is a key survival skill

Global illiteracy is a learning crisis — and it impacts so much more than children’s ability to read simple text. It holds up a child’s progress in life — and in turn, the potential development of their families and communities.

Simply put: the ability to read unlocks every child’s potential — and is an essential survival skill.

When a child is literate, they have a better chance of escaping the cycle of poverty and building a healthy, productive future. A child who can read and write can access basic services such as health care, navigate society, contribute to economic growth and apply for official documents like birth certificates.

Being able to read and write is truly transformational. It provides the ability to learn, to communicate, to advance in life.

But to acquire these basic reading and writing skills, students need stable support systems that can help improve access to quality education.

You are essential to ending the global learning crisis

As Canada’s leading international development charity focused uniquely on children’s literacy, we at CODE know that people in Canada can make an enormous impact to end the global learning crisis — and prevent it from becoming a catastrophe.

We are proud of what CODE’s community has accomplished so far. In the past three years alone, CODE has provided nearly one million culturally-relevant books to students and trained 21,000 teachers in 4,025 schools. But we know that we need a much bigger movement to end the global learning crisis for good.

The more awareness we can raise about the issue, the more attention this crisis will get — and the better chance we have of making this issue a bigger priority for everyone.

CODE needs people across Canada to join this movement and stay informed to help advocate for every child’s right to read here at home and around the world.

Together, we can make a significant impact on eliminating the barriers that prevent children from learning to read.

Take action by adding your name today

Today, CODE is asking people across Canada to unite in support of every child’s right to read — a fundamental human right and necessary skill for success in life.

Your help in prioritizing the right to read is essential to ensuring everyone works together to eliminate the barriers that are holding children back from learning how to read.  Please add your name today and learn how you can have an impact on this silent crisis.