Functional illiteracy reaches alarming levels among children from disadvantaged families. The struggle for daily living exhausts all the energy of the parents, and the children, for lack of support, drop out of school or do not devote the necessary time to learning. For the benefit of these children, we run the Reading adventure program, so that they discover the world of knowledge through reading and therefore stay connected with learning in the school environment. Program activities include formal and non-formal activities related to reading stories, educational field trips, library visits, etc. Students also receive a warm meal or a healthy snack, very much needed after hours spent at school.
The company Deichmann supports the Reading adventure program and thus helps disadvantaged children to learn through reading and not drop out of school.
Becoming familiar with reading is a long-term process and gives results only when it is associated with pleasant activities, in an environment that predisposes to reading, imagining and telling stories. That is why we give great importance to the design of the centers where we carry out the Reading adventure project, dedicated to children from vulnerable backgrounds, with a high risk of functional illiteracy.
Deichmann financed the complete renovation of a reading corner, by repairing the walls, changing the floor, installing a door, painting, and installing a metal wall. Then, at the end of March, eight employees of the company came as volunteers to Glina commune in Ilfov County to transform the place into a friendly and conducive place for reading. Volunteers assembled colorful furniture, assembled chairs and tables, attached shelves to walls and arranged purchased books.
After the deed comes the reward
After the reading room underwent a story-like transformation, it was time to “hand over the work” to those who will enjoy it. A group of six Deichmann employees were present at the inauguration and met the children from the Reading adventure program. When they entered the hall, the children could not control their emotions. “Is this our room?”, “Are we allowed to enter?”, “I would never leave here again!”, were just some of the children’s responses. And because you can’t inaugurate a reading corner without reading something, Deichmann volunteers read to the children and then discussed what they read.
“We were delighted when our partners from Deichmann received with great openness the proposal to support the Reading adventure program. Moreover, the employees were also actively involved in the project as volunteers to set up a reading corner and spent time with the children, reading from their favorite books. For the children from disadvantaged backgrounds, whom we support through our education projects, the time spent with the volunteers serves as an example to follow and an inspiration. We thank the energetic Deichmann team for their involvement!”. – Adriana Dobrea, United Way Romania Executive Director.
In 2023, Deichmann supports the Reading adventure project with 30,000 euros.
We thank the Deichmann employees and the company for joining us in the effort to bring children from vulnerable backgrounds closer to books, knowledge and reading!
