BY Danielle Sweetman, Director of literacy programming

As an educator and literacy specialist, I am deeply passionate about education as a means of social, political, and economic change. I have dedicated my life’s work to positively impacting as many people as I can through the field of education and literacy. I got involved with the Literate Earth Project because the mission and values of the organization directly aligned with my own and gave me the chance to continue my work on a global level.

As the Director of Literacy Programming, my role is to ensure that we equip our libraries not only with books but with the training and know-how to effectively use those. In this role, I have worked to develop a library training program that instructs both librarians and teachers on how to set up and maintain a functioning library and engage the students with the library to be sure the books are being used to their full potential. The work I do with the Literate Earth Project helps create a sustainable future for our libraries; where both teachers and librarians feel empowered to utilize our libraries long into the future.

On the Ground

Working with LEP- directly with our staff and school partners- in Uganda has been one of the most fulfilling things I have done in the last nearly 10 years of my career. I have been given the chance to travel, experience a new culture, and make lifelong connections with so many people.  As we grow and expand, I am so looking forward to seeing the continued development in Uganda and helping to provide children across the country with access to books and quality literacy instruction.

The Literate Earth Project has made significant progress on our path toward improving literacy within Uganda. Thanks to the hard work from teachers and schools, we can help every child learn, grow, and thrive. We are also excited to announce we are set to open our 17th library in the fall/winter of 2020.

That said, we still have so much further still to go in making an impact on the lives of Ugandan children. Join us on our mission to create lasting change- please reach out to get involved or donate today!