9-year-old with Dyslexia Takes on Reading Challenge to Protect Orangutans

Archie has dyslexia: a learning difficulty that affects reading, writing, and spelling. It affects working memory and phonological processing, which makes learning to read a near-impossible task.  Although Archie is 9 years old, he has the reading age of a 7 year old. Dyslexia can make attending school very disheartening – something which is true for Archie.

Felicity Lindsay, Archie’s mum, explains:

“Archie works so hard all of the time but as progress is so slow, it can be frustrating for him. By the time he was in Year 4, he had been to four different schools. We are happy that we’ve now found a school which is able to meet his needs.”

“Archie is determined to overcome this challenge. In half term, he set himself the goal of reading two tricky books, cover to cover, to raise money for the orangutans. I’m so proud of him. When he does something like this, and sees people responding so well to his videos with sponsorship or likes, it really helps to encourage him.”

Archie has been sharing his progress with friends and family through candid, light-hearted videos. Speaking about his reasons for taking on the challenge, Archie said:

“I chose this challenge because I’m dyslexic and so it’s really hard for me to read. But life is even harder for the orangutans. I love orangutans and I really don’t want them to disappear. Reading this book has been extremely tiring for me as it has loads of tricky words in it. But it has been very interesting to read. One day, I would like to read exciting books, like Harry Potter! I want to say thank you to everyone who has sponsored me – and the orangutans will thank you too!”

Rhia Docherty, Individual Giving Manager at SOS, said:

“We are thrilled that Archie has taken on this challenge and have been so impressed with his passion and determination. At SOS, we work with our frontline partners to conserve and restore rainforests in Sumatra, which are crucial for orangutans and many other species. And so every donation that Archie receives is vital to helping us protect orangutans and preserve their forest home.”

You can donate to Archie’s fundraiser here: Fundraiser by Felicity Newton : Reading for the Orangutans (gofundme.com)