Vaoese Limutau Kava, founder and vice president of the “I Can Read Foundation,” started her reading program after noticing how many young children struggled with basic literacy.

“After returning home, I quickly saw that many kids in our village lacked a strong reading foundation,” said Vaoese.

“It made me think, what about the early years of our children’s education? Who is helping them?”

This powerful question led to the creation of the “I Can Read Foundation,” a grassroots program focused on helping children from preschool to Year 11 improve their reading skills.

The program started with a focus on children in Preschool to Grade 4, but due to growing demand, it now includes older students as well.

The reading tutorials follow a simple but effective method: 20 minutes of phonics and letter recognition, 20 minutes of fluency reading, and 20 minutes of reading comprehension.

All children from the Fagaloa area receive free lessons, while students in urban areas like Apia pay a small fee to cover materials, tutors, and transport.

But running the program hasn’t been easy.

“At first, we tried working with our local school, but it wasn’t always a success. Now, we run the classes from my home,” said Vaoese.

“In town, it’s sometimes hard to keep students attending regularly, parents get busy, or children lose focus.”

Despite the challenges, the program has seen great success. One example is twin sisters Mercy and Blessing Leniu, who started in Class 1 but improved so much that they were moved up to Year 3.

Another student, Chad from Lalomanu, travels over 60 kilometres twice a week with his mother to attend classes in Apia. His school performance has improved significantly.

Alongside the reading classes, the Foundation also offers scholarships. These are awarded mostly to students who win first place in their class, with a few given to the most vulnerable families in the village.

“Reading helps in every subject,” said Vaoese.

“We focus on building strong basics, recognising letters, understanding stories, and developing motor skills for writing, especially in younger children.”

Vaoese believes the fight for better literacy belongs to everyone.

“I always say, if we wait for official certificates before helping our children, they will grow up missing out,” she said.

“Many adults in Samoa have the knowledge to help. We just need to step forward.”

Most of the funding for the program comes from her own family, her husband, children, siblings, and close friends.

While asking for help feels hard, Vaoese says any support from the public or other organisations would allow the program to grow and reach children in other villages, including Savaii.

“There are other reading programs in Samoa,” she said.

“We are not the first, and we should not be the last.”

With a strong belief in the power of community, the “I Can Read Foundation” continues to build better futures, one child, one letter, and one story at a time.