International Literacy Day 2025: Literacy in the Digital Era
Today, the world will celebrate International Literacy Day (ILD) 2025, led by UNESCO under the theme “Promoting Literacy in the Digital Era.” This year’s focus reflects on the opportunities and risks of digitalisation for learning, and how lifelong literacy can be nurtured in a rapidly changing world.
At Haller, we’ve always recognised that literacy and conservation go hand-in-hand. For young people to embrace sustainable futures, they need access to knowledge, skills, and spaces where learning feels possible. From farming education to conservation training, literacy underpins everything we do and technology helps us make that knowledge more accessible.
The Legacy of the Nguuni Education Centre
The Nguuni Education Centre holds a special place in Haller’s history. As Kenya’s first free children’s library, it was never just about books. With more than 10,000 titles available, it created a safe space for exploration, imagination, and connection. But Nguuni has always been more than a library - it’s a hub where literacy, conservation education, and community can meet.
In 2024-25, the Haller Library welcomed 4,048 visitors, with 153 students taking part in guided school visits to discover the power of reading. Beyond books, Nguuni is also a place for personal growth: 654 young people engaged in life skills, leadership, and development sessions, showing how literacy and learning extend far beyond the classroom.
For children unable to attend Nguuni, our outreach programmes continue to embed literacy and learning into farming, health, and conservation initiatives across rural communities. And at the heart of Nguuni lies our Kipepeo Reading Garden – an outdoor learning space where children can engage with books and nature at the same time. Here, literacy is not just an academic skill but part of a deeper connection to the environment.
Why does literacy matter for conservation? Because understanding begins with learning. Last year, over 5,800 students explored conservation at Haller’s Nature Sanctuary, and more than 600 teachers were equipped with the tools to pass that knowledge on.
Harnessing Technology for Literacy
We have integrated technology into our programmes for years, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility:
The Haller Farmer App delivers regenerative farming lessons in both text and audio, ensuring that learning is accessible regardless of literacy level.
Our partnership with Tsavo Trust has expanded digital access to schools. At Kathekani and Joanna Chase Secondary Schools, we co-created ICT hubs equipped with 60 laptops, projectors, and preloaded servers. These resources provided students and teachers with access to over 40,000 digital textbooks, virtual labs, and multimedia materials, placing world-class knowledge directly in their hands.
In the past year alone, 650 students and 37 teachers used these digital hubs to transform their classrooms into gateways to the wider world
Looking Ahead
As UNESCO highlights, the future of literacy will be shaped by digitalisation. At Haller, we see this not as a challenge but as an opportunity: to bridge divides, empower rural communities, and ensure no learner is left behind. From our Nguuni Education Centre to our expanding digital hubs, we remain committed to literacy that is inclusive, tech-enabled, and rooted in conservation.
This International Literacy Day, we celebrate the children, teachers, and communities who remind us that literacy is not just about reading - it’s about opening the door to a more sustainable and connected future.
By supporting Haller’s library and education programmes, you help children, teachers, and communities access the tools they need to learn, grow, and protect their environment. Help us keep the doors of knowledge open - every donation changes lives. Donate Now.