e Read Aloud, for smarter women and a smarter nation!

"A reading nation is a thinking nation." This has become my philosophy in my life. There is no better way to empower a woman than by ensuring that they love books. As a reading revolutionary, my day to day job involves empowering children with books. I do this by donating books to children, the girl child included.Someone might wonder how books empower the life of a child. Well according to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study, reading for pleasure has been found to be the most important factor for a successful future. Hence in a country like Kenya, with such economic disparity, the love of reading could be the MOST valuable gift we give our children. This is also the most effective way to leverage social change.

Technology has become such an integral part of our lives that it's almost impossible to do without it. This has motivated me to take advantage of the digital opportunity. Alot of people are now reading ebooks as opposed to the traditional print books.I t is for this reason that I would like to digitalize the Read Aloud, the largest reading event in the country. Reading clubs in schools can then have e Read Aloud sessions on a weekly basis especially because the government has allocated 45 minutes of library lessons per week.

In the African setup, mothers are the first teachers that children have. It is therefore extremely important to empower women with digital literacy to ensure the knowledge will be passed on to children. If mothers know how to read aloud to their children using phones and tablets, then it's becomes a continuation of exciting children into reading and technology. It is interesting to note that Robert Ngeru, Samsung Electronics East Africa Vice President stated that “By 2015 an estimated 15 million Kenyans will be having smart phones” Well, this shows that e Read Aloud cannot be a far fetched idea. It is achievable. The challenge is how to empower mothers and women to appreciate that fact.

Reading Aloud with children is the single most important activity of stimulating a child's mind.