Noticias

Reading can begin with a story, but also with a conversation, a question or a story that a grandmother remembers and shares. Guided by this understanding, the Community Reading Clubs within the Mi Comunidad Lee strategy (meaning “My Community Reads”) have turned spaces in southern Cochabamba into places where children aged 6 to 11 read for pleasure, express their ideas and learn alongside their families and communities.

The approach combines reading, play, music, oral storytelling, audio stories and questions that guide children before, during and after reading. It aims to improve fluency and comprehension while also promoting critical thinking, creativity, social skills and child participation. As one mother explained during the process of documenting the initiative, “He wasn’t interested in reading before […] and now he is. He enjoys reading.” The documented experience also points to greater confidence in expressing ideas and emotions, and improved ability to relate to peers.

The model rests on a central principle: foundational learning is not the sole responsibility of schools. Parents and caregivers support reading at home; community facilitators run the clubs; and local grassroots organisations, known as Organizaciones Territoriales de Base (OTBs), provide spaces, organisational support and leadership. This process has helped the clubs gain recognition as a community service and has strengthened local ownership.

This shared responsibility creates a pathway to sustainability. Mobilisation by the OTBs has helped secure the inclusion of resources for the clubs in municipal planning for 2027. The experience shows that strengthening reading through communities expands learning opportunities while also building local capacity and partnerships that can sustain and extend the model beyond the life of a project.