Celebrating International Literacy Day in the time of

COVID-19 By Fred Kasongo – 6 min read

The COVID-19 global pandemic heavily impacted education activities across the world in 2020. In the DRC, classrooms closed with social distancing rules in effect. In response to COVID-19, the USAID and FCDO-funded DRC ACCELERE!1 (A!1) project developed a distance learning program that utilizes interactive audio instruction (IAI) to maintain the learning path of students from their homes and communities.

Celebrating International Literacy Day in 2020 was also different due to the pandemic. This year, the A!1 project brainstormed with USAID to find creative ways to safely promote the importance of literacy to thousands of students, parents, and Congolese citizens in DRC, as well as highlight the project’s continued impact on children’s learning even with schools closed. The A!1 team produced ideas for two activities that leverage the power of the radio and internet: a radio broadcast of an author read-aloud and a video testimonial of key stakeholders involved in the DRC education system, highlighting the importance of reading and writing, and A!1’s impact in DRC, which was shared on social media. However, it was not without challenges, as preparations had to be completed with limited in- person communication, in line with DRC and international guidance to limit meetings and congregations to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Preparations for International Literacy Day. In preparation for the author read-aloud, the A!1 team remotely organized the necessary logistics such as identifying an author and participants, drafting an engaging and interactive script, negotiating the radio broadcasting and scheduling the recording. In preparation for the video, the team procured a local videographer, identified the participants, and coordinated the shooting with USAID staff, the Minister of Social Affairs (MINAS), and other interviewees. The A!1 team was able to do all of this within two weeks. The A!1 team ensured social distancing during filming, recording and interviews, and other safety protocols for participants including wearing masks and proper hand hygiene. Despite these challenges posed by the pandemic, the A!1 team successfully contributed to International Literacy Day in 2020 to the delight of the activity participants and attendees. What is an author read-aloud and how did A!1 do it? An author read-aloud is an interactive face-to- face exchange where an author reads a children’s book to a group of students. Due to the restrictions on social distancing, and as radio is the most efficient way to reach our beneficiaries during COVID-19, A!1 designed the author’s read-aloud to be safely recorded in advance at the studio of the Direction des Programmes et Matériels Didactiques (DIPROMAD). Michel Otto, a Congolese author who helps design the project’s teaching and learning materials, and Consolata Nzeeb, a project staff member, facilitated the read-aloud session, with two grade 1 students, Kasai and Winner, with their parents in the audience.

(Left) Michel Otto and Consolata Nzeeb at the DIPROMAD studio during the recording of the author’s read-aloud. (Right) View of Consolata Nzeeb with participating parents and students.

A!1 chose the Lingala language book Bana mapasa na kati ya engumba (the twins are visiting the city) which tells a story about the journey of twin children from their village to visit their relatives in Kinshasa. Michel prepared Kasai and Winner by asking questions such as how many children they see on the cover page and if they could identify where they were walking on the streets in Kinshasa. During the read- aloud, Michel displayed photos from the book to pique the Ka sai and Winner’s interest. Michel also interrupted the story to ask the children questions for comprehension. Kasai and Winner were engaged and actively answered the questions. Their enjoyment was palpable during the session. The recording included longer pauses so that listeners at home could also respond with their parents or guardians. Michel ended the session by discussing the importance of reading and why he became an author in order to inspire the children and radio listeners.

After the recording of the author read-aloud, Kasai, Winner, and their parents expressed their gratification. Kasai’s mother mentioned: “I am very thankful to have participated in this radio event and to hear the voice of my child on the radio during the broadcast!”

A video testimonial to inspire reading during COVID-19. What would be more impactful than hearing directly from your peers, colleagues, parents, teachers, mentors, and leaders about the impact of literacy in their lives and their passion for reading? With that perspective in mind, the A!1 team interviewed DRC Minister of Social Affairs Rose Boyota Monkaju, USAID/DRC Mission Director Paul Sabatine, USAID/DRC Education Project Management Assistant Monique Mujinga, parents, students and

Snapshot of the video testimonial featuring Ms. Monique Mujinga, USAID’s Education Project Management Assistant teachers to tell their personal stories and the impact of A!1’s distance learning activities. The responses were captured in a three-minute long video which was posted on USAID and A!1’s social media pages and aired during UNESCO’s sponsored event for International Literacy Day. The video portrayed clear joie-de-vivre of the participants, especially the beautiful Ciluba song sung by Monique Mujinga: “Students, are you already asleep? No, we're not sleeping yet, we're thinking about the importance of writing and reading: ABC...”

UNESCO’s sponsored event in Kinshasa. In addition to the two the author read-aloud and video, A!1 participated in the celebration event sponsored by UNESCO in Gombe, Kinshasa on September 8. During this event, A!1’s testimonial video aired for the first time to the enjoyment of those in attendance. A!1 collaborated with USAID, UNESCO, War Child, MINAS, and other education partners to ensure a successful International Literacy Day celebration.

The A!1 team also presented the project produced school materials to visitors at a booth. A!1 staff members answered questions from the visitors and discussed successes and best practices learned on the project. Visitors to the booth expressed particular interest in A!1’s teaching and learning materials.

A!1’s staff at the event booth presenting school materials produced by the project during International Literacy Day

The collaborative approach between A!1 and our partners, and the accompanying safety measures, led to a highly successful event. The radio program aired on September 8 in Kinshasa and Haut Katanga. In Kinshasa, the Director of Radio 50 greatly enjoyed the program and decided to re-air it the same evening free of charge to the project to ensure even more children in Kinshasa heard it. At the UNESCO sponsored event Rose Boyota Monkaju praised A!1’s activities to her colleagues and highlighted the project’s impact during her speech. Subsequently, while she was visiting A!1’s booth, she presented A!1’s key activities to the representative of the President and other government attendees that were curious to learn about the project.

About Fred Kasongo

Fred Kasongo is a humanitarian and development professional with over 25 years of experience in project management, including design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Throughout his career he has also supported grants and budget management, strategic planning, and provided leadership to various projects. Currently, he is the senior implementation director on the ACCELERE! project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Prior to joining Chemonics, Mr. Kasongo spent most of his career with World Vision supporting grassroots capacity building and programming at the regional and national levels. He has working knowledge on programming areas such as education and youth, health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, water and sanitation, gender, food and livelihood security, protection, and advocacy. Mr. Kasongo holds a M.B.A. from the University of Liverpool in England.