World Book Day Supports South Sudan
Literacy, Books, and Education in South Sudan:
Education is seen as the backbone of South Sudan’s future. It is slowly but surely finding its way into South Sudan spine by spine.
Schools Reopen in Jonglei’s Duk County
In March of 2015, 1000 pupils returned to schools that were destroyed in last year’s fighting. Children have been with education in this county for 15 months, and many have missed their exams that could have earned them promotion to secondary schools. The number of students continues to grow daily. Text books are being supplied by Twic East County education office and the Lutheran World Federation and Church & Development have pledged to support schools with sanitary kits.
Click here to read more from the Sudan Tribune.
UNESCO’s World Book Day
April 23rd, a date on which many notable authors were born and died, is World Book and Copyright Day and is the symbolic date for world literature. The day exists to pay world-wide tribute to books and authors, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.
This year on April 23rd, the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) hosted Pop Up Book Fairs in over 100 countries to raise awareness of good literature as well as fight against illiteracy. Throughout the world booksellers displayed posters depicting Empty Bookcases and invited visitors and colleagues to mark the day by “buying” a symbolic spine. Spine by spine the bookcases were filled. Spine by spine literacy moved closer to reality for children in South Sudan.
Before the Pop Up Book Fairs started, Richard Davies of AbeBooks announced AbeBooks would generously donate $2000 USD to help fund UNESCO’s vital literacy work in South Sudan. “South Sudan, the world’s newest state, is a troubled place indeed. Literacy is a way through some of the problems that beset the children in South Sudan and thanks to AbeBooks’ generous gift, 190 sets of children’s “Bouba and Zaza” books especially written and published for African children will be put into South Sudanese schools,” reports an ILAB article.
Click here and here to read more at International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).
Big Stories for South Sudan
A UK school in York has launched a big project to bring books to South Sudan called Big Stories for South Sudan. Teachers noticed a huge pile of unused big books in their school, which is now donating all their big books to South Sudan schools via the Curriculum Foundation. They will be used initially for teacher training and then will be distributed to the schools who need them most.
Click here to read more from the York Press.
