Can you imagine growing up as a child without books? No picture books to point your little fingers to and say, “Dog—bow wow.” No storybooks for your parents to read to you.

This is reality for most children in Benin. They go through primary school with only two schoolbooks per year—one for French, and one for math. When they start secondary school they are required to read one book per year for French class, but the book costs about a fifth of their dad’s monthly salary (if he is employed). If they’re lucky, they know someone who has the book and lets them read parts of it or gives them a summary of the story. Needless to say, most of them can’t read until they are in third or fourth grade. They lack a wide vocabulary, and even high school students stutter through readings with great difficulty. Saddest of all, they have no idea that reading is actually fun!

That’s why we have decided to launch a reading competition for this summer’s vacation. I chose a number of interesting and educational books from our little library and bought most of the books students are required to read in school for each grade. I also added our Bible story books to the pile. Then we invited the kids to come and read. Once they are done with a book, they come and give me a summary, and I note which book they’ve read. At the end of vacation, we will give them prizes—school supplies, clothes, etc.—depending on the number and type of books they have read.

We didn’t get all of them excited, but some got really hooked and are on their eighth or tenth book after only one month. I had to add more books to the pile to stay ahead of them.

Kids who don’t like to read or don’t know how to read well will naturally find it difficult to read the Bible. The first step to really enjoying God’s word is to develop reading skills and a relationship with books. We hope that, by helping children learn to read better and to enjoy books, we will open the door for them to come to know God personally through His Word.

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