Literacy: Hilda Baci, Adeoluwa Donate 5,000 Books To Youths

To promote healthy reading habits among young people across spectrum, Guinness World Record holder and celebrity chef, Hilda Baci, and social media influencer, EniOluwa AdeOluwa, have announced a partnership to donate 5,000 books to youths through the #WhenWeReadCampaign.

The initiative, influenced by the need to improve literacy, also encourages donating books to individuals, libraries, underprivileged students, and organisations.

As part of the campaign activation, two books comprising a fiction and non-fiction will be selected and distributed monthly for people to read.

Speaking on the initiative, Hilda Baci said, “The When We Read campaign is driven by my passion to enhance capacity among young people and instill knowledge across various interest areas. Reading enables a change in perspective. This is sometimes what is required to make an impact. The many opportunities ahead can become more effective by imbibing healthy reading habits. When we read, we know more, there is an endless well of knowledge and information in books and we can only find them when we read.’’

As opposed to spending a lot of time on their phones scrolling endlessly, the campaign promotes reading either through digital copies or hard copies. The WhenWeRead campaign will improve literacy further as well as writing proficiency.

On partnering with Enioluwa, Hilda said, ‘‘We both share similar values to create growth avenues for young people. The campaign aligns with our long-term plans to improve meaningful conversations and provide solutions to some of the challenges of young people.”

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), promoting literacy in formal and non-formal settings will strengthen national strategies and policy development on literacy; address the needs of disadvantaged groups, improve the use of digital technologies to expand learning outcomes; and create progress in assessing literacy skills. The WhenWeRead campaign is one of the initiatives that will contribute to these factors while improving focus and communication skills.