KFC Funds Feeding Minds Program to Improve Literacy Rates in Egypt

Christena Essam Kamel

Christena Essam Kamel, 19, works as a youth ambassador in her community of Ezbet Khairallah in Cairo, Egypt, because she recognizes how she can help develop her community through literacy.

As part of the Feeding Minds Youth Literacy Program, funded by the Yum! Foundation and KFC, Christena is just one of the many youth ambassadors working with ProLiteracy and our partner Anba Moussa Al-Aswaad Association (ANBA) to help educate youth and young adults to build a more sustainable and healthier future for their community.

In Ezbet Khairallah, over 1 million people live in poverty and 30% of students, mostly women and girls, drop out of school for various economic reasons. Through this three-year partnership, we are giving this population access to education and putting tools and resources where they are needed most.

In our first year working with the Feeding Minds program, we reached 219 learners from the ages of 12 to 35. Literacy ambassadors framed instruction around Level 1 of our proven Laubach Way to Reading methodology, which we translated into Arabic.

Literacy gains were overwhelming across all age groups. Notably, 84% of 12–20-year-olds and 94% of 21-35-year-olds improved their literacy levels from a first-grade equivalent to being able to read at a second-grade level, recognizing letters, writing basic sentences, and reading short texts. With enhanced literacy skills, 70% of youth in the formal school system registered to take school exams to move up one grade level in this first year.

Keeping the momentum of the first year going and eliminating the barriers to education will mean these students will be more likely to stay in school, which will lead to a future with better economic outcomes, a more prepared workforce, improved health, and a more sustainable community.

As the program progresses and literacy levels grow, we are developing Levels 2 and 3 of Laubach Way to Reading in Arabic.