Reading and Africa are two subjects close to my heart.
As a little girl in Enugu, Nigeria, books were a window into worlds where foreign concepts like snow, and lashings of ginger beer, and Peruvian bears in train stations, came magically to life.
Now as an adult raising my family in the UK, writing by the likes of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie takes me back to my childhood home.
I can’t imagine a life without books.
Sadly too many African children, among others around the world, are growing up without this basic educational resource.
In this short but sweet video, British kids talk about their favourite books and how they feel knowing that some school kids have no books to read.
They offer a simple solution: collect books and send them to Africa – the exact same model devised by charity Promoting Global Learning.
The not-for-profit organisation wants to encourage children from kindergarten through secondary school to experience the joys of reading by providing each child with an opportunity to have a book of their own.
How You Can Help
To get involved, all you need to do is contact the charity and they will collect the books from you and deliver them to the most needy parts of Africa – it’s that simple. To offer your books simply contact Sue Gerrish at Promoting Global Learning by emailing info@promotinggloballearning.org or calling 0800 195 7522.
Did you know?
In a recent study in Ghana:
• Only 23% of the English text books and 20% of the Maths text books were available in Primary Schools
• None of the Kindergarten schools have recreational equipment or facilities
• Teachers use a ‘chalk-and-talk’ method of teaching a class of up to 60 pupils, yet only 78% of schools had a blackboard and less than 50% of the schools have chalk!
Find out more at www.promotinggloballearning.org
Photo of the babes
