Do you remember your favorite childhood book or characters? The experience of jumping into another world by the magic of the written word? We were saddened when we were recently reminded that some libraries in this world don’t have books for children to read.
“If students had books to read at least it could compensate to some extent for the shortage of teachers. Unfortunately, books seemed to be a rare commodity in nearly all schools despite the SEDP goal of one textbook in every subject for every student. Even the school libraries had no books in sight. Library has become just another word for reading room, where pupils can sit and study their exercise books.”
– From Tamasha Survey, Tanzania. Schooling or Fooling?
This quote, from a recent Early Grade Reading Skills Professional Development Event hosted by the Office of Education at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) resonated loudly! We hope soon to share our stories with new readers, in new corners of the world, and add to a growing collection of reading books. Please let us know of your favorite projects that are getting books to libraries and children, we’ll get in touch with them!