JAAGO Foundation has partnered with the Asia Foundation to promote the use of safe internet among children and increased the understanding of digital and blended education of the students along with their parents.
It created firsthand access to more than 2,500 students and 2,500 parents to a virtual learning application which was supported as a vital ICT tool for the learning process.
The project encompassed the districts of Rajshahi, Khulna, Chittagong, Cumilla, and Barisal.
Given the socioeconomic circumstances, these regions had relatively better access to smartphones and the internet, making it ideal for this initiative.
A total of 250 young volunteers from these five different districts directly worked for the implementation of the activities in 25 schools.
The project activities created a secure online environment and improved the grade-wise reading competency of the students through a storytelling approach.
The volunteers capacitated and travelled to the selected schools and read aloud stories from the learning application to the students in different sessions to raise awareness of internet safety and promote productive screen time.
Students and parents were introduced and sensitised to the necessary guidelines and information about the app and its practical usage.
Youth volunteers guided the students to download the app on their parents' phones with necessary instruction leaflets.
At the end of the session, the participants were given some fun activities to do with a week’s deadline. The respective youth volunteers revisited the schools every four weeks to follow up with the students to get updates on the activities.
Students and parents can again be made aware of the importance of reading and storytelling through the learning app Let’s Read.
One of the parents shared, "Since my child started using the 'Let's Read' app, I've noticed a significant improvement in their reading skills. They used to spend hours on their phone playing mindless games, but now they are keen to seek out new stories and books to read on the app. It's been such a blessing to see my child grow and learn through the joy of reading."