PUKU.co.za

'Heroes' Creator Conspires For Good

by Bontle on 15 Jul 2010   |   

‘Conspiracy for Good’ is the first of its kind: an interactive storytelling experience brought to young readers by ‘Heroes’ creator Tim Kring, and Nokia. Fantasy meets reality as readers are immersed in a plot line, where they are the hero deciding the outcome of their story and making the world a better place.

Room to Read and the Pearson Foundation joined the list of real-life protagonists. Together with Nokia, Room to Read will establish five libraries in Zambia and also fund an education for 50 girls. The Pearson Foundation adds another element of good with the launch of We Give Books. Every time a site visitor reads an online children’s e-book, the foundation will donate a physical copy of the book to the new libraries in Zambia.

“I believe that storytelling has the power to create positive change in the world,” said Kring in a Nokia press release. “Audiences today want to be more involved in stories. Our goal with the Conspiracy For Good is to entice, engage, and inspire the audience to drive real-world change through their participation in a narrative.”

• Read the complete article at tonic

Kenyan and Zambian Schoolchildren Join Forces to Publish Ground-breaking Book

by Bontle on 06 Jul 2010   |   

250 learners from schools in Kenya have written and published a children’s book about Kenya’s Maasi tribe. The school children are selling the book to raise funds for teaching resources in Kenya. Students and tutors from the University of Central Lancashire have joined the Kenyan learners, providing help and expertise to the creation and publication of the book.

The book, entitled Letters to Africa, features a series of letters exchanged between schoolchildren from Lancashire, Kenya and Zambia who shared stories about their lives and cultures. It also includes a glossary of the Kenyan Maasai tribe language. This is believed to be the first time this has been recorded and written down.

It is being officially launched at the Harris Museum, when 11-year-old Farington Primary School pupil Jack Sagar will get a special prize for writing the best letter.

Also featured is information about Aids awareness sports projects delivered by UCLan students to children in Zambia.

• Read the complete article

Penguin Group and Pearson Foundation Launch the We Give Books Project to Donate One Million Books to Literacy Worldwide

by Bontle on 21 Apr 2010   |   

Penguin Group and the Pearson Foundation have announced the launch of ‘We Give Books’, a new digital initiative that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don’t have them, simply by reading online. The free website gives parents, caregivers, and educators immediate access to a growing digital collection of Penguin Group’s classic children’s literature. For every book read online, the Pearson Foundation will donate a book to a child in partnership with one of the exemplary international literacy organizations they have partnered with.

This year, We Give Books will be providing books to young people in Africa through the organisation, Room to Read. The aim is to share 2,000 new children’s books with young people served by Room to Read in South Africa and Zambia. Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

• Visit their Website at We Give Books

Education Helping Zambian Children Beat Poverty

by Bontle on 30 Mar 2010   |   

Children in Zambia are using education to help better the fortunes of their families by increasing their literacy and numeracy skills. Faced with the harsh realities of poverty, these children hope to qualify for better jobs and secure more money when they start work. Various development organisations are helping children, especially girls, stay in school by providing assistance, mentoring, learning materials and books to the children, according to the BBC.

One such agency is Camfed, a non-profit set up in 1993 by UK-based Ann Cotton. Camfed started raising money by baking and selling cakes. in 2008, the organisation raised $11 million.

At Camfed partner high schools in Zambia, pregnancy rates fell by 9 percent between 2006 and 2008, compared to an increase of 38 percent in a control sample of schools through their healthcare activism programs. In Tanzania, schools supported by Camfed through the Safety Net Fund showed a 37 percent reduction in drop-out rates between 2005 and 2007. Camfed also works in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Ghana.

Since 1993, they have worked to help 1,065,710 children, providing scholarships for 42,184 girls to go to high school, training 4,068 teacher mentors and helping 769 young women go to university. Camfed focus on girls is particularly important in a country like Zambia where the prospects of girls are still very limited.

Education in Zambia is not free after Year 7, meaning that all 13-years-olds wishing to stay in school must have all their books, stationery and uniforms bought for theme by their parents; not to mention school fees.

However, of the families that could afford to send a child to school, it would largely be a boy rather than a girl.

Ms Cotton reveals that this is done to financial prospects rather than cultural trends.

• Read the Complete Article

• Read More about this Organisation

2007 Children's Peace Prize Winner Adds Writer to her Skills

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 06 Jan 2010   |   

Thandiwe grew up in a poor neighborhood of Lukasa, the capital of Zambia in Central Africa. When she was eight years old, her school was closed down for lack of teachers. Thandiwe led 60 children from her neighborhood in search of a new school. She garnered support from community and government officials for new school buildings and more land for classrooms. Seeing the disastrous effects AIDS on her community, she is also involved in HIV/AIDS education, talking to children and parents about HIV testing and taking children to get tested. She also co-wrote and illustrated a booklet for children called “The Chicken with AIDS” about the dangers of the disease.

• Read the complete article