Inclusive, Qualitative, Sustainable Education - IQSE
The IQSE is a project focused on closing the gap of inequalities existing in the educational sector where children and adults are unable to read and write. The project is aimed at improving reading culture and promoting spoken and written English language and creating an inclusive reading space for both children and adults.
Book readings are conducted on our Facebook platform where host readers read selected books to participants with the hope of making connections to ease and enhance understanding and also learning from the experiences of the characters in the books we read. Most of our book selections are centred around social issues such as gendered discrimination, child marriage, inaccessible education, infertility, bodily autonomy, health, sexual exploitation and abuse amongst others.
In the previous reads, we read “Don’t Touch Me Here” written by Nomthi Odukoya; the book empowers children to confront abuse and talk to trusted adults, “Daughters Who Walk This Path” by Yejide Kilanko focuses on issues of girl education, abuse and challenges women and girls face in a patriarchal society, in this book we saw how girls are sexually abused and rather than getting adequate support from family and society, they get blamed and shamed.
We have also read Victims twice over, a short story culled from the lived experiences of IDPs in camps, curated by Samuel Ioron Foundation which exposes sexual exploitation happening at the camp where women and girls are often subjected to “sex for essential needs” and then face dismissal from camp if they try to report these abuses. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives” written by Lola Shoneyin explores themes of polygamy, rivalry, mental health and challenges faced by African women where we saw Bolanle an educational woman experience mockery and segregation due to “infertility” only for us to see at the end that her husband was impotent and the other wives had taken matters into their own hands to produce children for him in order to cover up the perceived shame he might have to go through if he is unable to co-create with them. We read “The Waiting Room” a story that exposes the challenges couples experience when dealing with infertility, and how women take the punch for childlessness in marriages.
One of our all-time favourites is “The girl with the Louding voice by Abidare and Ivy by Ngunan Ioron Aloho depicting child marriage and the consequences thereof and the importance of education which is a core focus for our organization.
In the last two years, a lot of progress has been made, lots of books have been read, engagements and number of participants have significantly increased. We hope to read more books and engage better with our community.
The IQSE live book read sessions are conducted on our Facebook platform, every Tuesday morning by 11 am, West African Time.
Host a Book Reading Session
If you are interested in hosting a book reading session with us, fill out the form below and we will get back to you.