On paper, the Cayman Islands has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. The 2021 Census reports that 98.6% of people aged 10 and older can read and write.
But that number does not tell the full story.
Basic literacy is not the same as confident reading. Across our islands, children move through primary school without the skills to read for learning, for pleasure, or for opportunity. By the time they reach secondary school, the gap is already set. For some, it follows them into adulthood.
This is the reality in our classrooms today.
The foundations of literacy are built between birth and age eight. Children who fall behind in these years rarely catch up without support. But with the right intervention, at the right time, every child can become a confident reader.
This is why LIFE exists.
Literacy is the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.
Since 2012, LIFE has worked alongside schools, families, and community partners across the Cayman Islands to close the literacy gap where it starts: in early childhood.
Books donated
Volunteer Hours
Years of community work
Schools and Settings Impacted
Every book, every training session, every volunteer hour adds up. But the work is not finished. One in four children in Cayman still struggles to read at grade level.
With your support, we can reach more families, upskill more educators, put more books into more hands, and open more doors of opportunity.
Your donation puts books in children’s hands, trains teachers, enhances learning environments and empowers families to support learning at home. This is how we change the trajectory of lives, together.