By Michael Smith and Tina Tam Once again we’re seeing the e-book trend soaring to new highs. The Association of American Publishers (AAP) recently released a snapshot of the industry’s total January 2012 books sales, which is based on a compilation of monthly sales results from the organization’s 1,200 reporting publishers. Although overall sales have … Continue Reading →

By Michael Smith A few weeks ago, Pearson Foundation released survey results showing a growing love of digital reading among U.S. high school seniors and college students. The Pearson Foundation Survey on Students and Tablets draws three conclusions: • E-reading devices (tablets) are on a drastic rise among students; • Students believe that e-reading devices help them in school, … Continue Reading →

The last time I was at Ntimigom Primary and Nursery schools was a year ago. Since then, they have been featured on Al-Jazeera and CitizenTV Kenya, enrollment is up and absenteeism is down. Many students have transferred from other schools, and The Kilgoris Project has had to employ two new teachers to accommodate the now 400 … Continue Reading →

“Sawa sawa. Okay, good. Are you getting it?” asks teacher Victor during English Class 4 at the Menara Primary School in Mnara, Kenya. The class, packed with some 55 students, is studying celebrations. Victor stops for a moment. He sees a vocabulary word he wants the students to learn. He picks up his e-reader, hits the … Continue Reading →

Part 2 of the Dr. Robert Ouko Memorial Community Library launch at the Menara Primary School in Kenya that includes the Worldreader Kit of 46 Kindles. Prior to the successful community launch and the following day, Worldreader kicked off our teacher training program. In addition to showing teachers how to use e-readers in their classrooms, our … Continue Reading →

by Zev Lowe Background: This is a Worldreader Kit of 46 Kindles in a school in Kenya that we are launching with the Dr. Robert Ouko Memorial Community Library at the Menara Primary School.  It is funded by the Gordons and their family/friends. The launch event was pretty grand. They had erected tents for the occasion (which they also … Continue Reading →

Sometimes it’s important to step back and remember that Worldreader is about reading. We are not ‘the e-reader NGO’, nor ‘the Kindle guys’. We are simply ‘the folks who are transforming reading.’ Our core mission is to enable folks all over the developing world to read.  We do that by using new technology to deliver … Continue Reading →

It’s another big week for Worldreader: We officially kicked off a new program in Uganda! We mentioned our Partner Program and  expansion plans a while back, and soon we’ll have more news about what’s happening and where we’re going next. Exciting stuff in the pipeline! In the meantime, here are a few photos and a near … Continue Reading →

As a lean, nonprofit social enterprise, much of what we do is powered by the enthusiasm of our volunteers. Now and again, Worldreader shines a light on their initiative, shares their on-the-ground experience with our broader community, and gives them a big public hug. You may remember, Sara Rhyne, for instance. She won our video … Continue Reading →

About 18 months ago, before Worldreader even had office space, the team unpacked 20 Kindle 2s, and a handful of children’s books were uploaded onto the e-readers. With ambitious plans sketched out on paper and a lot hope in their suitcases, Worldreader’s Colin McElwee, David Risher, and Mike Sundermeyer flew from Barcelona to Ghana and started … Continue Reading →