NCODE 2013 Update s
Another year has gone by and CODE is very proud of the meaningful impact we’ve had in the world in 2013 by helping children to learn to read and write — by working with local authors, illustrators, editors and publishers, by producing and distributing high-quality and culturally-relevant books, by resourcing libraries, by training teachers and training trainers. Thanks to the support of our donors, we can, each year, continue to build a world where every child can read and write and unleash their full potential for a better future. We thought we’d share with you some of the highlights of 2013.
Reading Liberia/Reading Sierra Leone Collection Continues to Grow Last year, CODE celebrated a major milestone in its Reading Sierra Leone program with the publication of the first eight Reading Sierra Leone books. Written and illustrated by Sierra Leoneans, the books tell compelling contemporary stories that children and youth from the country can identify with. Through the Reading Sierra Leone program, CODE and its partner PEN Sierra Leone are creating and supporting literate environments in the country by engaging children through reading and writing and inviting them to think, to learn and to improve their lives. They are also striving to develop a sustainable publishing industry for children’s books in post-conflict Sierra Leone. Combined with the books published as part of Reading Sierra Leone’s sister program Reading Liberia, the collection now includes 31 locally-produced books for young readers
Liberian students using the Reading Liberia books in the classroom. (Photo by B.D. Colen)
from Grade 1 to 6 – and many more are in the works.
In addition to copies of the books distributed to schools and libraries in Sierra Leone and Liberia through CODE’s programs, our Liberian partner the WE-CARE Foundation was able to secure purchase agreements through the Ministry of Education’s Teacher Training Program with funding from the World Bank. This means that, in Liberia alone, over 400,000 high-quality books have been made accessible to youth so far. These purchase agreements not only speak to the quality of the books produced and ensure that more children will get access to engaging, culturally-relevant books, but also contribute to the economic sustainability of CODE’s local partners – an essential part (Photo by B.D. Colen)
of our programs.