Mother Tongue literacy in the Rift Valley: Past experiences and present-day work with the Mbugwe community

When a language community begins the work of orthography development in their language, the need soon arises for written material in the language, both for new readers to practise on and so that the orthography itself can be tested and evaluated. In order to provide those who are interested with opportunities to learn the orthography, transition literacy workshops can be held, giving people who already have literacy skills in another language the chance to learn to read and write in their mother tongue. Last year one such workshop took place in Dodoma for the Mbugwe language. We report on how this workshop was put together and what its intended outcomes were. We also share what was achieved and the challenges faced. The next steps for the Mbugwe literacy programme are also discussed, together with some of the broader challenges faced by those working in mother tongue literacy in the Rift Valley context. Note: This talk has not gone through a process of peer review, and findings should therefore be treated as preliminary and subject to change. Acknowledgement and citation:  Eaton, Helen & Lizzie Poole. 2024. Mother Tongue literacy in the Rift Valley: Past experiences and present-day work with the Mbugwe community. Talk given at the Rift Valley Network Webinar Series. 10/07/2024.