Sharing Web Resources

As I explored the UNICEF web site I discovered a link to a podcast ‘Beyond School Books’ series,  featuring Wayetu Moore, founder of One Moore Book, books that speak to young readers through characters and situations within their own culture. Ms. Moore, came to the U.S. at 5years old. Thinking about her experience as a child, decided to develop a tool to help children from Liberia and Haiti in teaching them fundamentals of the English language in a context that is familiar to them. Some of the books are trilingual or bilingual, uses phrases in the native languages to help children relate to their lives.
When something is written down, it is internalized as an ideal of the standard of beauty and culture,” she continues. “The power with this project is that when a child sees himself in the literature, they realize the permanence of their culture; they realise that they are important, too, that they are definitive (Vojvoda, 2013, p. 1).
According to Wayeto, the books that children have access to in developing countries are often donated by foreign organizations and reflect a different cultural context, making it difficult for children to identify with them (Vojvoda, 2013). Children’s sense of self is validated when they see and read about things that are part of their everyday lives. To assist in getting the books to the children in featured countries there is a program that sends one book to the featured country for every three books sold. The young innovators section of the podcasts also  Timothy a  co-founder of ELE Rwanda, whose goal is to inspire, motivate and empower Rwandan youth to participate actively in the economy and the development of the country young people are investing itchier countries to bring about better opportunities for the children (Vojvoda, 2013).
Additionally, there was an article focused on the private sectors role in investing in early childhood education. Early childhood education provides the foundation for later academic success. UNICEF promotes community-based early childhood care and development programs as well as linking formal preschool programs to primary schools, and using national standards for school readiness. This approach may also entail training traditional caregivers on the latest ECD practices (Early childhood education and school readiness, 2012).
The information on the website contained numerous links to a variety of topics focused on improving the outcomes for young children’s well-being. The information in the Beyond School Books series reinforces the importance in providing accurate representations of children’s culture in building positive self-image.  
References:
Early childhood education and school readiness. (2012, February 27). Retrieved from UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_61627.html
Vojvoda, R. (2013, July 1 ). Africa's young innovators at the center of sustainable development. New York, New York, United States.


Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank you so much for sharing this information. I can't wait to look into the topic of children's books in other countries. I wonder if there is an organization that writes books that are "made for" the children reading them?
Maria
September 29, 2013 at 12:55 PM
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