Among them were the students of the American International School of Jeddah, who started the day with a schoolwide “read in” on the school’s sports fields.
Students and teachers spread out beach towels, lawn chairs and blankets and read from books, smartphones and Kindles for 45 minutes to kick the day off.
Before the read-in began, Literacy Coordinator Christy El-Jerby shared the shocking statistic that in 2012 almost 800 million people (mostly women) are illiterate.
She asked students and teachers to think about how they use reading in their daily lives through emails, texts and books, and what their lives would be like without this precious gift.
Superintendent Mark English then visited every elementary classroom where he shared a book with students, underscoring the importance of literacy in education.
LitWorld’s founder, Pam Allyn, works with advocates around the world to try and increase literacy, particularly in developing nations.
She believes that literacy is the foundation for emotional and physical well-being, intellectual growth and economic security. The right to read and write is a fundamental human right that belongs to all people.
To learn more about LitWorld, visit their website at litworld.org.
