Room to Read Blog

Show and Tell: Celebrating Literacy and Freedom in Zambia

This post is part of the ongoing series, Show and Tell, where we bring you photos and stories collected by Room to Read team members on the road. 

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Today is African Freedom Day in Zambia, a holiday celebrating the widespread re-emergence of indigenous African leadership across the continent. In honor of this special day, we bring you a video shot by our team at Chinyuyu School in Chongwe District, where students treated Room to Read staff and some special guests to a performance celebrating the connection between literacy and freedom. Enjoy!

  

Learn more about our work in Zambia.

In Zambia, a Love of Learning Earns One Young Reader a New Nickname

Mvekero—it means “sound” in Chinyanja, one of Zambia’s many languages.

These days, Mvekero has become a popular word throughout the first grade classrooms of Mungu Basic School, where teachers, as part of their participation in Room to Read’s Reading & Writing Instruction program, are beginning to rethink the way they present foundational literacy concepts to their students—breaking down words into letters and sounds first. The new technique has already shown impressive results for several students, including Cascius, whose reading skills are among the best in his class.

Cascius and his family live in one of the nearby feeder villages for Mungu Basic, where 78 percent of families live in poverty. His parents, Humphrey and Astridah, are visibly proud of their son’s progress in school, and proudly mention to our team that he was one of six children chosen to represent his school at the zone literacy competition.

Beyond the official recognition though, Astridah and Humphrey say their son’s progress is most visible at home—where he often makes reference to the concepts he has learned in school.

“He’s conscious of how I pronounce my words and shows off his learning,” says Astridah, with a smile. “Almost every day, he corrects me either with the initial sound or the final sound of a word I say, and explains why.”

Based on the progress they have seen in their son’s reading ability, Cascius's parents say they are extremely pleased with the program now underway at Mungu Basic. Their other son, now in the third grade, has consistently struggled with reading and writing, but he too has seen improvement through regular practice with his younger brother. 

Cascius’s love of reading and writing has even earned him a nickname around the house, says his mother.  “We all fondly call him Mvekero now!”

Learn more about our work in Zambia.

World AIDS Day 2011: A Special Message from Room to Read

Every year since 1988, World AIDS Day has been celebrated on December 1. It is a time to unite against a disease that has claimed millions of lives over the past three decades and look forward to a cure.

While nearly all of the countries where Room to Read works have been touched by the AIDS pandemic, two of them—South Africa and Zambia—have been hit particularly hard. Many of the children we work with have lost family and friends to the disease.

But today—on World AIDS Day—we bring you a message of hope. The truth is, all across the globe right now there are NGOs, governments, community organizations and private citizens fighting HIV and AIDS where it is most prevalent, and making an impact. As the global community anxiously awaits a cure to HIV/AIDS, it is important that we recognize and invest in the tools we have right now to turn the tide—tools like education.

Enjoy our video message and leave a comment to let us know what you'll be doing this year to commemorate World AIDS Day in your own way:

 

Learn more about our work in Zambia and South Africa.

Fun with Phonics at Nakatete Basic School in Zambia

As Ms. Sharon Chanda sings instructions to her class, her first grade students run to the mat at the front of the room to join her, one by one.  

It starts as a few students from the table underneath the mtondo (mango) sign scramble to the front of the room. They are soon joined by their classmates who sit below the dangling nanazi (pineapple). As they settle, they don’t miss a beat in the call and response routine.

As Ms. Chanda calls out in Chinyanja, the language of instruction for these first graders in Zambia, the students sing back a melodic reply. The exercise is one of many teaching methods Ms. Chanda learned through the in-service training she received as part of Room to Read's Literacy Instruction program. “The students have always been eager to learn,” she shares, “but the Literacy Instruction program has inspired them to be more curious in their studies.” 

While the first graders wait patiently on the mat, their fingers dance in anticipation of the phonics game they’ve gathered to play.  She hands out letter cards and has students match the letters to the sounds on the wall.  Ms. Chanda believes this interactive approach is working. “I have never seen my students have so much fun while in class", she shares. "Reading and learning are no longer droning activity for them—it’s fun.”

As the phonics game comes to an end, select students report to Ms. Chanda to deliver the next exercise back to their respective tables.  

What could result in chaos is pure energetic order, as the students dutifully file back to their assigned tables, all led by Ms. Chanda’s signing.  

Once reunitied, the teams work together to match the phonics in pairs with their corresponding vowel sounds—speaking each pair aloud to check their answers.  “Ba, be, bi, bo, bu,” they chant together, grinning from ear-to-ear.

“The crux of teaching with the new methods is that we ensure that the students are having fun while learning," says Ms. Chanda. "It emphasizes creativity and encourages both the teachers and the students to learn in a different, yet fun-filled, way.” Maureen Simunchembu—Room to Read’s Literacy expert in Zambia—agrees, adding that the program, “offers a great opportunity for children to learn to read and write, and inspires them to strive for more.” 

At Nakatete Basic School, the Literacy Instruction program “has definitely inspired the students, since it complements the prescribed course content perfectly," says Ms. Chanda.  A quick observation of her classroom shows that this is clearly the case.

Learn more about our work in Zambia and about our Literacy Intruction program.

 

Don't forget to help us spread the word this month about our campaigns for literacy!

Join our tweet campaign! Each RT will donate $1 to our literacy programs in Asia and Africa (up to $30,000) thanks to Random House, Inc. Click to Tweet!

 

Throughout September, all donations to our library programs will be matched up to $40,000 thanks to our partner, Better World Books. Click to donate.

 

Photoblog from Zambia: Meet the Next Generation of World-Changers

Last month, eight teens (ages 15-23) from all around the world gathered in Zambia to embark on Room to Read’s first-ever Teen Trek. Along with their parents (or in some cases, grandparents), Nick, Tegan, Kate, David, Kyle, Rachel, Robert and James spent a week in the Lusaka province, visiting schools and libraries, and learning more about what they can do to support the global education movement.

Their story is a powerful one, and best told through the photos they brought back with them. This photoblog is a taste of exactly that. Our thanks to all of our participants for making the Teen Trek such a success, and to the Room to Read Zambia team for being a gracious host.

 

 

Learn more about how students of all ages can get involved with Room to Read through our Students Helping Students initiative.

"Big Books" Help a Little Girl in Zambia Develop a Love of Reading, Despite Late Start

Meet Stella: a lively 3rd grader from Balmoral, Zambia.

Born the sixth child of eight to parents Phales and Patrick, Stella was a happy baby who seemed no different from her siblings. At three years old, however, Stella had not yet begun to walk, and it became clear that her development was not following the familiar pattern.

Doctors assured Phales and Patrick that their daughter was healthy, despite her developmental challenges. Relieved by this news, they vowed to raise Stella in the same manner as they had her older brothers and sisters, including enrolling her in the local primary school.

Stella began first grade at Balmoral Basic two years ago at the age of nine. Because the school has a special education program, she is able to get the extra support she needs, as well as attend classes with her peers.

The school also has a large library that Stella visits often. She is particularly captivated by the colorful posters and "big books", which she shares with our team when they visit. “Lyi ni sapato yaba mami,” (this is my mother’s shoe) she says with a smile, pointing to a poster on the library wall. 

"The posters and 'big books' enable her to indentify objects and relate them to her everyday life," says Room to Read Country Director for Zambia, Samantha Chuula. These supplementary reading materials are included in Room to Read libraries because they help to create a literate environment and encourage young kids to read. It's clear that they have helped foster a love of reading in Stella, despite her late start in school.

When asked about her favorite book, Stella proudly holds the “big book” version of Who Can Be a Friend. She's almost completely hidden by the book's massive cover, but peeking out from behind it, her face is all smiles.

Learn more about our Reading Room program and our work in Zambia.

Meet Marjory: Girls' Education Scholar from Zambia (VIDEO)

Meet Marjory, a 14-year-old girl from Chongwe, Zambia, who dreams about being a lawyer so she can help bring law and order to local communities in her home country. Room to Read's Girls' Education program ensures that Marjory has the supplies, tools and mentoring she needs to complete her secondary education and accomplish her life goals. But Marjory's real inspiration is her mother, who went back to school as an adult to become a teacher after her husband abandoned the family. Learn more about Marjory's determination to continue on her path to education—just like her mom.

 

All gifts matched through May 31! From now through the end of May, all donations to our Girls’ Education program will be matched up to $250,000. Honor mom—or any other special person that has shaped your life—by supporting the next generation of women. www.roomtoread.org/MayMatch.

Library Supplies Hit the Road: Zambia Team's Creative Transport Solutions

At Room to Read, our entire staff subscribes to a roll-up-your-sleeves work ethic that we refer to as “GSD” (Get Stuff Done). Because many of our programs exist in very remote areas, even the most basic tasks, such as delivering furniture and books, become incredibly challenging. In order to get stuff done, our country teams often have to be creative and innovative in their implementation approach. Arnold Mumena, Reading Room Program Officer in Zambia, shares some of the creative transport solutions he devised in order to ensure the children in Zambia have well-stocked libraries.

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As a former teacher for almost 18 years, I was very excited to be hired as one of Room to Read Zambia’s first employees in 2007 because I firmly believe that access to education is critical for all children. However, the cost of doing business in Zambia is very high, which means our library program expenses can be costly, including the transportation of our supplies. Though most Room to Read offices can rely on community partnerships, in Zambia, we generally use the direct implementation approach and, except for limited help from the government, we do it all ourselves.

In 2010, we expanded into Kafue, a district south of Lusaka. The district is vast—almost 500 km, butting to the east with the Republic of Zimbabwe and to the west with Zambia’s central province. The eastern part is hilly with mountainous features such as the Zambezi escarpment and Munali hills, creating scenic beauty but also pushing the costs of road construction and maintenance very high. To get to our projects in the east, one has to first travel along the bumpy hill roads, then cross the Kafue River by river pontoon and drive through a wild animal park before finally reaching the schools where our libraries are situated.

After surveying more than 50 schools in the area, I decided that in order for the Reading Room program to succeed—especially in the remote lower Zambezi area—our team needed to get creative, which meant it was time to involve partners! I organized meetings to introduce the Reading Room program to the local community and invited many people, including the staff from ZAMBEEF. ZAMBEEF is an international food production company in Zambia and West Africa. They have vast estates where they grow soy beans and corn and also have many cattle ranches all over Zambia.

Their engineering manager, Mr. Banda, attended one of our meetings and was so excited about the library program, he offered to help. ZAMBEEF trucks come to Lusaka fully loaded, but then generally head back out to the provinces empty. Why not fill the empty trucks with library furniture to distribute to our new libraries?

In September, the first batch of furniture was ready for dispatch. I called Mr. Banda and asked if they could help with transporting the furniture. He didn’t hesitate and immediately asked for quantities, location of our office and when the trucks could come. The next day, a huge truck pulled up in front of our office, so I gathered as many people as I could to load the truck with tables, chairs, bookshelves and boxes and boxes of books. ZAMBEEF delivered the furniture to all schools, traveling over hills, across the river and through the wild animal area without any breakage. They even paid the pontoon fees!

We received a larger, second batch of furniture in October. The rains were threatening, and we had no storage space, so we had to get the furniture to the schools before the rains wreaked havoc. I decided to make a trip to the Zambia army headquarters and request transport assistance. Major Chipili called back the next day and committed to send a truck the following week. As promised, a military truck with a group of soldiers pulled up to our office—coincidentally, two were librarians from the base—and soon the truck was loaded with furniture and on its way to make deliveries to several schools. They even returned to our office for a second load!

While great progress had been made, there was still furniture to be delivered. Next, I called the Zambia police, who responded by making a delivery to a school. Then I thought of the schools themselves and contacted the head teachers, some of whom worked with the PTA and community, to pay for a truck to deliver the furniture and books for the children anxiously awaiting access to their new library.

Looking back, our team not only saved on transport costs and prevented our furniture from getting ruined by the rains, we also learned an important lesson about asking for help—from local business, the military and the schools themselves. Partnerships make us more effective in our work and connect us to our community. The Zambia team will continue to walk on the partnership path.

Learn more about our programs in Zambia on our website.

Reconnecting with Mulenga: Zambia Scholar Looks to Bright Future

We first met Mulenga in 2008 during a visit to Zambia shortly after our program there started (see photo below).  Living full-time at the Lukwipa Basic School in the Chongwe District of Lusaka, Mulenga and over 100 other young girls participate in Room to Read’s Girls' Education program that includes educational support and life skills training. When John Wood met up with Mulenga recently, she was still an active participant in our program and had just returned from an educational summer camp with her peers that was organized by Room to Read.

Mulenga’s story speaks to the determination of young women who want to forge a life path different from past generations. Raising five children alone, Mulenga’s mother, who herself had only a few years of schooling, was forced to quit her job as a hairdresser because of severe asthma attacks.  Without Room to Read’s assistance, Mulenga would likely be forced to also quit school and work to support the family.

Instead, Mulenga has taken a very active role in her education -- two years ago, she beamed with special pride when she told us about her work as a library assistant in the school library. She’s now two years away from taking her national exam, which she plans to ace so she can enroll in university next.  As you will hear in her interview with John below, Mulenga would evenutally like to work in a bank, or perhaps she might even be the next staff member at Room to Read Zambia.  Regardless, Mulenga is determined to finish school at the top of her class and we have total confidence that she'll succeed!

Learn more about our Girls’ Education program and our work in Zambia.

Are You a Member of the Conspiracy For Good?

We have to admit, we were intrigued when we were invited to join something called the Conspiracy For Good (CFG) –- a first-of-its-kind interactive experience from the imaginative and Emmy award-winning mind of “Heroes” creator, Tim Kring. To hear him describe the project in his own words, click here.

The idea was to combine Tim’s storytelling abilities with Nokia's Ovi platform to create a dynamic experience using interactive theatre, mobile and alternate reality gaming and more, to empower you, the audience, to take real-life action and create positive change in the world. It’s a unique blending of fact and fiction that they call "Social Benefit Storytelling."

If you haven't yet been following the conspiracy, since June, users from all over the world have been logging on to www.ConspiracyForGood.com and following the interactive mystery of a school library in the village of Chataika, Zambia, where a teacher (Nadirah) has gone missing, a shipment of books has been hijacked and a shady corporation may be behind it all. Sound intriguing yet? Followers are playing along and uncovering clues online that are furthering the narrative, and in doing so, they are helping to eventually build a real-life library stocked with children’s books.

Confused? Stay with us because here’s where we come in…

Uniquely interwoven into the fictional plot, Room to Read has become part of the Conspiracy For Good storyline operating alongside Nadirah, the main character, and the CFG collective, or secret "members” that are fighting the forces of social and environmental injustice. The good news is that in the narrative, when the books are found and Nadirah is located thanks to the Conspiracy for Good, Nokia will establish five real-life Room to Read libraries in Zambia, including one to be built at the Chataika Basic School (which really exists!). Plus, Nokia will fund the education of 50 Girls’ Education Program scholars in the country.

The "real" books for the new libraries will be furnished by Room to Read’s long-time partner, the Pearson Foundation, an organization that has teamed up with Nokia to establish a one-for-one giving campaign, whereby a new English-language book will be donated to a Room to Read library for every digital book read online at www.wegivebooks.com.

Catch up on the storyline here and join the conspiracy today to follow the clues and see if you can figure out what's next as the plot thickens.

And don't think we haven't had some fun with this as well! Already some ingenious trackers have cornered Room to Read Founder John Wood to get to the bottom of things. Here's what he had to say about the Chataika situation and being a Conspiracy For Good "member" ;)

To read the official press release, click here