We All Write Poems

It has been a sweltering few months for the LitClubs of Centre for Development, located in Ahmedabad, India! “With temperatures raising as high as an average 100 degrees Fahrenheit (or 38 °C), it is difficult to keep everyone motivated and moving during the day”, reports one of the organization’s Partnership Coordinators, Prasad Chacko.

But, despite the heat and humidity, LitKids are not only attending the regular meetings, where they regularly read, write, and create, but they have also been busy exploring another kind of self-expression - poetry! The clubs worked on group poems that centered around their own LitWorld experiences as well as people who are important to them. One of the CfD clubs, the Moon Club writes:

““We are children of the LitClub Moon,
We sing the Hello Song as we meet in the LitClub
We listen to stories during Read Aloud
And share those stories with others too..
We do community activities together,
We are the children of the LitClub Moon,
We learn about the 7 strengths,
And are strengthened ourselves
Belongingness and Kindness,
Curiosity and friendship
Gained courage and confidence
And nurtured Hope in our future
We are children of the LitClub Moon””

The power of singing with friends 💛

Another club, the Tulip Club wrote a poem about their moms! It is called “Mother”

“My loving Mother
She loves me every day
She always has a smile on her face
She gently teaches me so many things in life
She kindles hope in me, fulfils my dreams
She always has a smile on her face
My loving Mother””

We are sending lots of congratulations to these young poets and writers for exploring their hearts and writing down their feelings. Keep writing, keep exploring and as always - shooting stars to all! 💫💫💫

KindBoys thrive in Cameroon 🌟

Kind Boys in Cameroon

“I joined LitClub in September 2017 following an invitation from a close friend who was part of the LitClub. He told me of the interesting activities they carried out in the LitClub and how enjoyable it was to be part of it. I decided to accompany him on one of the meeting days. “ says 13 year old Ryan Stephane, member of the Kind Boys LitClub at Vision for Education and Development in Cameroon.

Ryan and the other boys of the “Kind Boys” club have been meeting weekly with their mentors and continuing on growing various skills through activities centered around the LitWorld 7 Strengths. They recently partcitipated in an “One Minute Interview” activity, where they practiced interview questions and answers with each other. The local Partnership Coordinator, Fideline Mboringong, reports: “The boys went home smiling as they acted like journalists. “

Practicing your handshake for those future interviews!

The mentors continue to see positive change in the boys’ behavior after each week of LitClubs. As another LitClub member, Karl Sedney, put it: “Before joining the LitClub, I used to be very shy and had difficulties in expressing myself. I lacked courage in facing crowds and I could not speak even in class. I was so shy even when I was amongst my peers and classmates. Ever since I joined the LitClub, through the lessons on the strengths of courage and confidence, I have finally gained the courage and confidence that I lacked at first and can now express myself very freely and without fear.

I am no longer shy to face crowds and I have learned to be bold, courageous and have confidence in myself that I can do whatever it is that I am required to do. I am now able to do things that I could not do at first like talking freely in class, facing my peers and expressing myself.”

As always, LitWorld is thrilled to be a part of these young men’s stories. Together, we can continue to inspire each other to be the best we can be, one Read Aloud at a time!

All smiles with mentor Herman and the boys during the weekly Check-in Question.

Graduations and Goodbyes in Pakistan

Mentor Ms. Anila giving a Certificate of Completion to a proud LitMom

The Seeds of Hope Foundation LitClubs are already having an amazing 2019! Sixteen LitClubs have been running every week this month and 7 LitClubs celebrated the end of their two years and held graduations with cake, fun and games! Everyone was extremely proud of their accomplishments of finishing their curriculums.

Seeds of Hope runs a robust Mom’s Sewing program, empowering the local women to come together, express themselves and create in these spaces. While this is certainly not “goodbye” for many moms, the celebration was filled with equal amounts of joy and sadness as everyone shared about her learning experiences throughout the class and displayed their beautiful dresses which they had sewn in class. 

LitMoms enjoy their graduation ceremony

Seeds of Hope continues to flourish with their mobile libraries as well! The librarian Mr. Isac Khan reports that while he visited different villages in March, every visit showed many children and community members enjoying the large number of books for reading and borrowing. At the end of the month over 605 books were loaned between the traveling library and the regular Seeds Of Hope libraries! Shooting stars to all the young and old readers out there!

Congratulations to these young readers, we are so proud of you!

World Read Aloud Month in Rodanillo, Colombia

Our incredible partners at Museo Rayo in Roldanillo, Colombia turned February into Read Aloud month! The Partnership Coordinator, Jhoanna, shared that experience with LitWorld:

“World Read Aloud Day became the MONTH of Reading Aloud, and tremendous work was done in Roldanillo, Colombia valley. We started the first day with the sound of a siren , signifying that WRAD month has begun. The mentors were brought to places all across Roldanillo: to schools and colleges, to day care centers and foster homes, to jails, churches, elderly homes, and fire stations. Everyone read when hearing the sound of the siren, because it was the signal to start a simultaneous read aloud throughout Roldanillo. Over 6,500 people participated in this wonderful and rewarding celebration.

The mentors chose their favorite books and shared them with all the different groups. The famous poet Agueda Pizarro was a special guest and read her book "The Ray for Children", in homage to the painter and founder of Museo Rayo, Omar Rayo.

Throughout the month, students from across Rodanillo passed through the Rayo Museum’s reading room. In the first week of February 1500 children visited the room from Monday to Friday. The department library supported our LitClubs by dictating a workshop to mentors and teachers in training how to conduct a read aloud, and offered ideas and complementary activities to become literacy advocates and readers. “

About LitClubs in Roldanillo overall, Johanna writes: 

"The positive moments that occur in LitClub revolve around happiness, when the children arrive and embrace each other, and they listen to each other, you see the love for being in LitClub. The members have learned to make new friends that they see every eight days. They have formed emotional bonds, support each other and show one another so much love.

"When the weekly question is asked and the circle of praise begins, the mentors realize that a bond of friendship has been formed that is difficult to break, because they are always ready and willing to listen and to highlight the positive of the other, without any doubt whatsoever."

Fortune's First Read-Aloud

We have the privilege of sharing this beautiful story from our LitClub partner ”Zambia Go Ye Therefore” in Livingstone and Lusaka, Zambia. LitClubs in Zambia are thriving as evidenced from this story shared by our Partnership Coordinator, Sanyambe:

"[LitClub member] Fortune did his first ever "read aloud" with a book he chose "Finding a Home". He never knew how to spell his name before but now he is full of hope and is trying!"

Here’s a lovely picture of Fortune in all his post read aloud glory. Congratulations & shooting stars to Fortune, Sanyambe, Zambia Go Ye Therefore, and all the other young readers taking big strides in their learning lives. Your confidence and hard work inspire us every day!

Food as Culture Project: Food as Story, Food as Legacy

LitWorld is excited to announce a new Food and Culture project we will be working on this spring! Food is such an integral and important part of our stories, and we all have memories, recipes and anecdotes of those favorite (or least favorite!) dishes that we grew up with - in our homes, our celebrations, our daily lives, whether prepared by family members, in local restaurants or passed through generations for you to cook!

The first food we are learning about is simple - EGGS! Do you have traditions surrounding eating and preparing eggs? Do you have a delicious recipe from your life that you would like to share with us? 

We are looking to highlight how this common and nutritious food touches communities all over the world, so please send us your anecdotes, recipes, pictures or even videos of eggs being prepared or served at different times in your community or home.

Share your recipes & culinary stories on social media @litworldsays on Twitter, @litworld on Instagram, and facebook.com/litworld.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Library on the Coast: The Explosive Growth of LitClubs in the Philippines

We are constantly in awe of our partner, Project PEARLS, based in Manila, Philippines. Their dedication to literacy for all, and ability to mobilize huge public support for the cause is incredible. Project PEARLS mission is to help the poorest of the poor children in the Philippines have a better life through education, empowerment, nutrition, healthcare service.

Their talk translates to action. This year, they organized a march through Manila in celebration of World Read Aloud Day, where hundreds of folks came together to advocate for literacy and celebrate the boundless power of the read aloud.

Project PEARLS led and organized this march in Manila on World Read Aloud Day 2019.

Last week, Project PEARLS travelled 8 hours to the Library on the Coast in Daet, Camarines Norte, Philippines. They trained 5 new LitClub mentors and have 22 students ready to join!

Congratulations to Project PEARLS, and thank you for your unending support for LitWorld, LitClubs, and literacy throughout the world!

New LitClub members in Daet, Camarines Norte, Philippines.

New LitClub members sharing their heart maps.