British Council in collaboration with HSBC launched the second year of their 'Kids Read' programme, an initiative aimed at fostering good reading habits and encouraging reading for pleasure inside and outside the classroom among students in government primary schools across the Middle East region and Asia.
The launch was inaugurated by Barbara Wickham, Director, British Council Sindh and Balochistan who emphasised the importance of developing a reading habit. The programme was held at the Behbud Association, Karachi. HSBC's CEO, Lloyd Maddock, their Acting Corporate Social Responsibility Manager Lourdine Maisie, in addition to parents and teachers were present at the event.
The launch included a high energy storytelling session delivered by Alec Williams. Alec is an experienced UK storyteller and teacher trainer in the field. His combination of storytelling skills and timing proved to be a great hit with students and teachers alike. Over 100 students from Buebud Association and Children Foundation Trust (CFT) enjoyed the story telling session at the event. 'Kids Read' aims to promote good reading habits early, with a long-term view to improving performance across a range of life skills in addition to developing language skills and critical thinking.
The year-long programme hopes to engage primary school children, teachers, parents and guardians through a combination of school activity and community events. A number of books and interactive lesson plans have been made available to teachers, for use during class time, which will support students moving from teacher-led reading to becoming independent readers. The community events revolve around the themes of Value for Money, Arts and Culture, Volunteerism and the Environment. Speaking on the occasion, Barbara Wickham said, "We are immensely excited to launch the second year of Kids Read Programme, which is funded exclusively by HSBC Bank Middle East & Affiliates.-PR