Lead Writer - Mogbonjubade Adesulure
Once struggling to read even simple words, Haruna and his younger brother Hussaini are now topping their classes, with support of a community-based Catch-Up Club supported by Save the Children. With dreams of becoming a president and a doctor, these two brothers are proving that with the right support, no dream is too big.
Discover how a literacy program made a difference in their academics.
Haruna likes to read, and he dreams of becoming president someday! At some point in his literacy journey, Haruna struggled with reading sentences, although he had a drive to know how to read.
I’m always eager and have the drive to want to know how to read, Haruna said, recalling his early struggles. So I try very hard to learn.
"Haruna pointing to a word on a blackboard Mogbonjubade/Save the Children
At Primary 5, Haruna could identify words but couldn’t read full sentences. The gap between what he wanted and what he could do left him frustrated. "I felt pain and angry, he said. I really wanted to learn how I could read".
Hussaini, Haruna’s immediate younger brother, likes playing football and wants to be a doctor. At the time he was in Primary 4, he could only recognise alphabets.
"Hussaini posing for a photo Mogbonjubade/Save the Children"
All of Haruna’s siblings are boys, and they are seven in total plus Haruna. Haruna is the second, while Husseini is his immediate younger brother. Their father runs a phone charging business, while their mother, Salamatu, sells foodstuffs like rice and beans in mudu, a small local measurement. The change in their literacy level came when the two boys joined a Catch-up-Club in their community. (CUC), It was through a local facilitator, Mallam Musa, that Haruna and his younger brother Husseini were enrolled in the Catch-Up Club a literacy initiative supported by Save the Children and the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) .
"Haruna and his siblings Mogbonjubade/Save the Children"
Haruna joined at “word level” while Hussaini, then in Primary 4, joined at “letter level”. The different literacy levels are Letter, Word, Sentence, Story, Story with Comprehension. Then Haruna progressed to sentence level! “Joining the CUC has really changed my life; it has benefited me a lot” he said. “Honestly, if I hadn’t joined, I wouldn’t have been able to read sentences.” His mother noticed the transformation in their academics,
I felt very happy, and I also felt joy inside because the child has improved in understanding the lessons and is now able to read sentences, she said. We have seen a lot of changes as a result of attending CUC. Before joining CUC, he did not know many things, but after coming to CUC he has learned so much. I feel very happy about it… Truthfully, there is difference between then and now with respect to their result.
The CUC provided writing materials, pens, erasers, and books, which Haruna used. “I feel very happy and grateful whenever I'm given those materials,” he said.
"Haruna and Hussaini Mogbonjubade/Save the Children"
Haruna’s favourite activity at the club is the word jump game. Hussaini, who likes football, likes singing activities, especially the song Zigi-Badu, which he and Haruna sang together during the interview. Word Jump is a word-level activity where a word is called out by the facilitator, and a child jumps on the matching word, while Zigi-Badu is an energiser. The impact of the CUC is evident in their academic performance. At the first term in their newly enrolled school, Haruna came first out of 83 pupils in the class . “Now I am better in understanding and I have more confidence than before,” he said.
While Hussaini , who used to take 24th or 18th position out of 43 pupils, ranked second at the first term. Now I feel happy he said.
And their mother is happy too! "Before joining CUC, he did not know many things, but after coming to CUC, he has learned so much. I feel very happy about it… We have seen a lot of changes". Haruna's mom told us.
"Haruna, Hussaini, with their mom and their brothers Mogbonjubade/Save the Children"
Haruna shared how he used to rarely participate in class because he struggled with reading and understanding lessons.
But now that I have improved, I have confidence in answering questions in class as well as finding it easier to understand and give answer during the examination now compared to before… Now I have confidence in answering questions...
When asked how it feels to now take first and second positions in their respective classes, the boys responded with similar words: "I feel very happy".
Catch-up Clubs are community-based learning programs that help children aged 9–13 who are lagging behind in school to build their foundational literacy skills. Accelerated, learner-friendly methods are adopted to close learning gaps and prepare children to rejoin or stay in formal education.
