Our work
The ability to read gives a child a powerful way to understand the world around them. It allows them to connect, communicate, explore ideas and better understand themselves. Yet illiteracy is an everyday reality for around 35 million children in Nigeria. Strongly linked to poverty, poor health and exploitation, it prevents individuals, communities and the country from reaching their potential.
Christianna Foundation has worked in Nigerian schools since 2012. We have built and renovated school libraries and run many education projects, and we know that good literacy outcomes are possible. Every school has its own challenges, so we use one of three approaches to make sure pupils have high-quality, relevant books to read.
Book Box Library Club
Book Box Library Club is a free mobile library service. Following a successful pilot that began in February 2020, it is being rolled out to under-resourced primary schools in the rural local authority of Ona-Ara, Oyo State, with the aim of reaching around 20,000 children in 102 schools.
Children borrow between 20 and 40 books a year to read at school and at home, in both their local language and English, and every child receives their own book bag to keep. Alongside the books we run reading activities and support teachers, peer educators and community reading mentors to build five essential literacy skills: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
Our model is community-led, largely run by volunteers and very cost-effective: just £4 (₦2,000) covers one child for the first year, and £1 (₦1,000) for every year after that.
Before the introduction of Book Box Library Club, pupils had no access to storybooks… Many of them have not handled storybooks before, they never got to talk of reading.
Mr Olopade, Head Teacher, St Paul’s Primary School, Kajola (2020)
Download the Book Box Library Club information sheet (PDF)
Book Box Library Club today
Reading Made Easy
Many children in our partner schools found even the simplest English storybooks too hard. So in September 2021 we launched Reading Made Easy, a series of phonics books for complete beginners, produced with the children’s publisher Telling Our Tales and written for Nigerian classrooms.
Each book builds on the last, introducing a few new letter sounds at a time, and our workshop facilitators visit schools to support teachers and pupils. Research during the two-year pilot showed a clear improvement in early reading, and Reading Made Easy, together with Book Box Library Club, is now the backbone of our early literacy work.
Notebooks for pupils and teachers
Every year we give free Christianna Foundation notebooks to the pupils and teachers of our partner schools, so that no child goes without the basics they need to learn. Our annual teachers’ scheme also thanks and encourages the teachers who make our programmes work. See our latest news.
Worldreader eReaders
Worldreader are world-leading digital reading specialists who have reached millions of readers in dozens of countries. Working with them, we have introduced eReaders in three primary schools: St Peter’s Primary School in Ibadan, and Kuramo Nursery and Primary School and Maiyegun Primary School in Lagos.
The books on the eReaders are chosen by an expert Worldreader librarian to be relevant and relatable, including books that empower girls and challenge gender stereotypes. We provide the devices, teacher and pupil training, solar charging stations and ongoing maintenance, in schools that can keep the devices safe and secure.
School libraries
Where a school cannot safely keep eReaders, we look at whether to build it a library of its own. We convert disused classrooms into bright, secure library spaces, with bookshelves, tables, chairs and books, and return regularly to maintain them.
In July 2025 we opened a newly refurbished library at Olubadan High School, Ibadan, adding to the libraries we have built and renovated across Oyo, Ogun and Lagos States.
The library is very useful to all pupils in St Peter’s and other schools in the zone… Teachers and pupils from other schools come to borrow books for their schools and return when due.
Mrs Adejoke Adesina, Ibadan North East Librarian (2019)
Milestones
Some of the highlights of our work over the years. For the latest updates, see our news and newsletters.
August 2023
Renovation of the Omonike Akinjide Memorial Library, St John’s Primary, Aremo
First built in 2018, this library serving St John’s Schools 1 and 2 had its flooring restored, its furniture and bookshelves renovated and a fresh coat of paint inside and out.
July 2023
Major renovations at the Elizabeth Adesola Akinjide Memorial Library, Elekuro High School
Built in 2016 and serving over 1,800 pupils a year, the library needed major repairs after its ceiling was damaged in a rainstorm. We restored the building and renovated the tables, chairs and bookshelves.
July 2022
Book Review Challenge winners
Pupils submitted reviews of their library books in a year-long challenge, and the first 10 winners received book prizes and certificates.
2022
Measuring our impact
After the first year of reading workshops we tested literacy outcomes. The pilot study showed a clear positive effect and recommended the reading books for use on a larger scale.
April 2022
Oyo State School for the Handicapped, Ibadan
We have supported this school since 2015 with uniforms and equipment. In 2022 we replaced the flooring in three classrooms and the hallways.
September 2021
Reading workshops and teacher incentives
Within our 10 pilot schools we launched intensive reading workshops for 300 pupils needing extra support with English, alongside a scheme to support dedicated teachers.
January 2021
Book Box Library Club expands
After a successful launch, the mobile library expanded to five new schools, reaching an additional 1,200 pupils.
March 2020
Children’s book writing workshop, Atamora Village, Osun State
With the Telling Our Tales storytelling collective, 16 children aged 8 to 12 created their own story, brought to life by a professional author and illustrator.
February 2020
Book Box Library Club launches
Our most ambitious project to date began in five schools in Ona-Ara, Oyo State, lending books to pupils for use at school and at home.
September 2019
Goalkeepers 2019, United Nations, New York
Christianna Foundation was nominated to attend Goalkeepers 2019 for our work supporting Sustainable Development Goal 4, Quality Education for All.
June 2019
Evidence-based working
We visited all 102 government-funded primary schools in Ona-Ara to assess their facilities and needs, shaping our plans for the years ahead.
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