Despite the Philippines having an average basic literacy rate of 95%, there are still pockets of illiteracy in different regions, especially in rural and remote areas that are hardest to reach by educators. Illiteracy is a key issue that hampers an individual’s ability to function in society. It limits employment opportunities and perpetuates the cycle of poverty.
Recognizing the crucial role literacy plays in uplifting lives, Globe has partnered with NABU, a reading app and mother tongue publishing platform that makes literacy accessible to children globally.
Based in New York, NABU is a nonprofit organization focused on eradicating poverty through increased literacy. Its collaborative projects are currently found in countries such as Haiti, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Romania, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Australia, USA, and the Philippines.
Domestically, NABU is partnering with Globe to “…help us make reading more accessible to Filipinos, so they can learn, appreciate local culture, and reach their full potential”, according to Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer of the Globe Group.
According to a joint report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the World Bank titled “Where are we on Education Recovery?,” the Philippines is currently experiencing a “learning poverty” where an estimated 70% of 10-year olds in low- and middle-income countries are unable to read or comprehend a simple story. Their findings also showed how learning has become further exacerbated by the global pandemic, driven by the disruption to in-person schooling.
Through this partnership, Globe will serve as a distribution unit for NABU’s e-books throughout the Philippines to complement students’ learning. Anyone can access the Nabu.org multilingual mobile app for free.
Together, the two organizations are bringing more than a hundred Filipino books, with some translated into regional languages such as Hiligaynon, Bicolano, Ilokano, Cebuano, and Maranao. NABU believes that helping children read in their local language first allows their confidence to grow. Having culturally-represented, original, and relatable stories in bilingual text increases the child’s motivation to read. The NABU reading app was also designed especially for low bandwidth areas.
Over the next two years, Globe and NABU will seek to expand the platform’s reach by partnering with schools and learning facilities. NABU is also excited to hone the skills of Filipino creatives such as writers and illustrators to continue telling and creating more stories that reach a wider audience.
The NABU: Multilingual Kids Books app may be downloaded for free on Google Play Store and App Store. For further details, visit https://www.nabu.org/read/ or https://www.nabu.org/tl/philippines.
On its part, Globe has always been a strong advocate of reading and comprehension. It has the Globe eLibrary mobile app and website (https://globeelibrary.ph/) which contains hundreds of English classic titles, age-appropriate storybooks, eLearning videos, and other resource materials that can be viewed online or downloaded for later use.