Reading Aloud for a Guinness World Record & Moulding Future Minds
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- March 4, 2021
In June 2015, the Storymoja Read Aloud team led 229,043 children in 1,097 schools across 44 counties to set a national record and unofficially overtake the world record of most people reading the same text at the same time in multiple locations. The current Guinness World Record for Most People Reading Aloud from the Same Text at the Same Time in Different Venues is 223,363 participants in 909 venues across the United States of America. We are back! And we want to set a new world record!
The Storymoja Read Aloud initiative was born in 2013 provoked by the saying that if you wanted to hide something from an African, hide it in a book. We started working hard towards changing this attitude through a campaign that has slowly grown into one of the biggest reading events in the country and the world. Through this campaign, Storymoja has been changing the reading culture at remarkable levels by motivating children to read for pleasure, become imaginative and creative, and mould their own futures.
This year, Storymoja will attempt to officially break the world record while celebrating the International Day of the African Child on Wednesday, June 16.
Storymoja is currently in conversation with the Guinness Book of World Records to formally endorse and recognize this initiative. It is for this reason that we request all Kenyans for support to make this possible.
The International Day of the African Child which was initiated by the African Union is our chosen day for this fete as it raises awareness on the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children. It also celebrates the children of Africa and recognizes them as the change agents of society.
Since the beginning of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has adversely disrupted education and other sectors. We hope to teach our children the culture of resilience and overcoming challenges against all odds even as we tackle the pandemic and promote reading.
If Kenyan children ‘own’ a world record in reading, it will go a long way in building positive perceptions about the value of reading storybooks and counter the long-held view that Kenyans do not read for pleasure. Reading aloud with children provides an enjoyable, shared experience of the written language, which has been found to form the foundation for further language and reading development.
We are determined to lead what we believe will be the world’s largest and most stimulating gathering of children reading aloud the same extract simultaneously, from multiple locations, and we are hopeful that you will join us on this adventure!
How You Can Participate
- Nominate and/or recruit a school to participate
- Purchase the KICD approved Attack of the Shidas books for participating schools(The extract to be read aloud is at the back of the book). Or rally both individuals and corporates to purchase copies of the book. A copy retails for KShs. 380.00
- Join any of the participating schools as a Reading Ambassador and read aloud with them.
- Spread the word through your networks and social media platforms.
Here’s to breaking a world record in reading aloud!
