Books opened doors for me that I didn't know existed.

Growing up, reading gave me more than knowledge, it gave me a social world, a way of understanding people, and a quiet confidence that has carried me through university, into volunteer work, and now into a role as a librarian at Pocket Libraries in Nairobi. I know firsthand what access to education can do for a young person's life. It is not a small thing. It is everything.

But not every young person gets that door. Right now, 273 million children and young people are out of school globally, a number that has risen every single year for the last seven years. Of those in school, 4 in 10 still aren't reaching minimum reading proficiency. Here in Kenya, over half of primary school learners cannot comprehend a Grade Three-level passage. Being enrolled is not the same as learning.

This year, I was selected as one of 900+ Youth Ambassadors by the World Literacy Foundation, an opportunity I am deeply grateful for. Through this fundraiser, I am raising $350 to fund one full year of education for a child WLF is currently supporting. One child. One year. One door opened.

Every $1 invested in education can return up to $10 in economic growth, but beyond the numbers, I simply know what that door feels like from the inside. And I want someone else to have it.

If you have ever been changed by a book or the ability to read, this is your chance to pass that forward.

Thank you for reading this far. It means more than you know.