After Devastating Natural Disasters, Our Partners Need Our Support

It is no surprise that this year has been beyond challenging for everyone - especially the communities that LitWorld works with from around the world.

In these last few weeks, a series of natural disasters have devastated many families in Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Philippines who were already facing losses in food, resources, employment, and school-time due to COVID-19. LitWorld’s partner organizations working in these communities have shown again and again to be incredibly innovative, responsive, and quick to act to support these families and kids to the best of their abilities - and you can help.

Here are 3 LitWorld partner organizations working in emergency relief situations that you can support:

Un Mundo, Honduras

Over the course of just a few weeks, Honduras was hit by two hurricanes, causing severe damage across the country.

In the mountainous region where Un Mundo and LitWorld work, the rains have washed away roads and bridges, leaving communities inaccessible by transport and often isolated from relief efforts.

Un Mundo is working hard to access these communities and provide the affected families with food, clean water and necessities, including educational materials for children unable to attend school at this time. You can support their relief efforts here.

Fabretto, Nicaragua

Buildings destroyed by Hurricanes Eta and Iota

Similar to its neighboring Honduras, Nicaragua has been battered by Huricanes Eta and Iota in the matter of two weeks.

Our partner organization Fabretto has been supporting communities on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and working hard to provide basic needs and supplies to those dealing with the aftermath of the disasters.

Many families have been displaced from their homes, without access to clean drinking water, food, or shelter at this time - and the kids and families that LitWorld works with are no exception. To support the urgent work our partners at Fabretto are doing and provide families with life-saving supplies, you can donate here.

Project PEARLS, Philippines

Project PEARLS in the Philippines has been working to support the communities hit hard by two powerful cyclones in just four weeks, Vamco and Goni. which have left many communities without power, water, or homes.

Project PEARLS has been on the frontlines of urgent response teams, working hard to provide families with hot meals and other resources.

As PEARLS have always incorporated LitWorld programs into their emergency response, the children displaced from their homes and out of school are also receiving emotional support through books, reading corners and access to caring adults and safe spaces to share. To support communities affected by the typhoons in the Philippines, click here.

Partner Spotlight: Meera Malek at Centre for Development, India!

For our final Partner Spotlight of the season, please welcome Meera Malek from Centre for Development in India as she shares her community's story of 2020!

Our deepest thanks to our partners around the world who have continued their life-changing work throughout this pandemic, and to supporters like you who help make it all possible.

Note: KEI is the Educational Program of CFD, and LitClubs are a part of KEI.

Q: Can you tell us about this year and how the pandemic has affected your community?

Meera (center) with her LitKids

Meera: The negative socio-economic impact of the pandemic on those who depend on daily wages and the multitude of service providing occupations in the unorganized sector is beyond our imagination; and is unfolding in front of our eyes as the days go by.

Since CfD works with the most marginalized and vulnerable families across the city, we could see the catastrophe coming. CfD immediately sent out an appeal to civil society to support an initiative to provide food stocks to the most vulnerable families.

During April and May, CfD reached out to about 2,000 families in distress (which includes the families of all the girls who are part of the Kadam Education Initiative and the families of the children that are part of LitClubs) and provided food stocks. Food kits consisting of cereals, salt, sugar, tea, condiments, and more were packed and distributed amongst the selected families by a team of dedicated Muslim and Dalit youth volunteers supported by CfD. CfD staff and volunteers – including senior Kadam girls – were all continuously engaged in procuring, packing, and distributing food kits, with full safety precautions being taken (maintaining distance, hand hygiene, and wearing masks/cloth to cover the nose and mouth.)

Now, it is not just a question of survival in an economic crisis that is going to be worsening over the coming year; but also about how the children are going to continue their education, and retaining the girls in a situation where families are losing hope. 

CfD LitKids continuing their education from home

By June 2020, the girls in KEI and LitClubs – who were enabled through considerable efforts to postpone their marriage – were already being pressured into marriage. The crisis is spurred by their mothers and relatives to get them married as soon as possible. The situation where the girls were enabled to join KEI and continue their education either in school or through National Institute of Open Schools and also gain life/employable skills is back in a different context. There are different reasons relatives use to justify their insistence on stopping the girls’ education and readying them for marriage. 

But KEI-CfD has resolved to reach out to the girls and their mothers once again to appeal to them to conserve the gains that their girls have made over the past 2-3 years and not put an abrupt end to the same by succumbing to familial and social pressures to get them married. Counseling has been going on, and assurances given that any expense on account of online education (such as devices and connectivity required) would be taken care of by KEI. This enables our girls to access online education in their own schools and colleges, and also their education through NIOS with the help of NIOS tutors.

The 30 tablets purchased for the girls of Kadam Education Initiative and 11 tablets for the LitClub children were distributed to all of them before the 10th of July, 2020. Our volunteers called girls in groups of 2-3 at the CfD office so that there was no crowding and distance could be maintained. They were given a hands-on orientation about the tablet and how to use it for online sessions and learning

Q: Is there anything that was surprising or worked well this year?

LitKids reading together

Meera: I have worked with the communities for 10 years and they never communicate, but this year the communities came together and started having meetings and talking about problems and how to solve them. They slowly started enjoying each other’s company and having a relationship with each other. The girls had exams that they struggled to pass for the last 3-4 year and passed because they had so much time to study. Grandparents and elder family members got to spend time together. 

I went to the families to distribute food kits; the girls were very happy to see me and we got to see the families each at a time. I personally feel that personal connection is so important to see each other’s faces.

Q: How have you been running or incorporating our work together/ LitWorld's programs this year?

Meera: During April, May, and June, the mentors and the partnership coordinator were constantly in touch with all the LitClub members and their parents over the phone. The children were very unhappy that during the lockdown they had to remain confined to their home, but the mentors and the partnership coordinators talked to them and helped them deal with the situation. The parents also needed emotional support to tide over the difficult situation in which they had to worry where the next meal would come from.

The mentors and the partnership coordinator were continuously engaged in helping the children understand what Covid-19 is, and what precautions (wearing masks and maintaining physical distance) to take to prevent infection and spread of the virus. The mentors would talk to small groups of children over WhatsApp video almost every day. The mentors also would engage them with simple LitWorld activities - reading, singing and art work.

During the first two months (April and May), the priority was to keep monitoring the food stocks of all the families given the fact that their parents had no means of livelihood due to the complete lockdown; and as soon as the mentors came to know that any family was short of food, they would be included in the Covid-19 lockdown relief project of CfD. The budgetary allocation for food and snacks in the LitWorld 2020 budget was added in along with other funds to ensure adequate food stocks for all families.

LitKids using their tablets

By early July we had started planning for a revival of the LitClubs. The decision to buy 11 tablets was also made to assist the process of revival, which was made possible through re-allocation of funds from the LitWorld – CfD budget. In July the mentors started the LitClubs each session engaging half the number of children to ensure physical distance.

The impact of the 7 strengths was visible during the lockdown. The way the children were curious to understand everything about Covid-19, and the lockdown, the way in which they cherished their friends and missed them, and tried to keep in touch with them through the mentors, and the occasional WhatsApp video calls, how a number of them responded to a call from another agency for drawings and paintings from children – all were indicative of the strengths they had gained and the way they could move ahead with Hope.

Q: What are the strengths of your community? If you had to assign one of the 7 Strengths to your community, which one feels the closest?

Meera: The 7 Strengths are very important to the community, and they are why I started LitClubs as well. The children of our LitClubs displayed strength and resilience in the face of a dangerous pandemic. It was far more difficult for this poor and lower middle class community to survive during the pandemic, as they were totally unemployed with no means of survival. But they joined hands to run community kitchens in their residential area, pooling together the food stocks they had received from the philanthropists and the government. This helped the community to strengthen their social bonding and survive collectively. 

The women of the community played a significant role in this process of collective survival. When there were cases of domestic violence, the women decisively intervened to stop the brutality and give solid emotional support to the battered woman. Women’s interventions in violence in a couple of cases more or less put an end to such violence for the remaining period of the lockdown in those areas.

So we would attribute ‘courage’, ‘kindness’, and ‘hope’ as the three strengths that could be attributed to the community.

Q: If you had just one thing to share about our work together, what would it be?

Meera: The main focus for CfD has always been one child and the other activities are like pillars. To make a child complete and happy, we have to work with other stakeholders, etc. At CfD, we believe in no physical punishment, no judgement, and in providing a safe space for children, which goes well with the LitWorld vision. 

Our kids are faced with various challenges and disasters ( man-made and natural), which makes them very serious. However, LitWorld programming provides them with places to be happy. One time I called some kids on the video call and they started singing the Hello Song, although they were not in LitClubs, showing joy and resilience.

Partner Spotlight: Gerson Gonzales at Un Mundo, Honduras

Gerson (right) with other Un Mundo mentors

For our third Partner Spotlight, we're shining the light on our partners in Honduras and speaking with Gerson Gonzales from Un Mundo!

Read on to learn about their year and how they're working to reach LitKids throughout the pandemic.  

*Interview translated from Spanish.*

Q: Tell us about this year and how the pandemic has affected your community?

Gerson: In March, a radically different stage began for our generation. It was an emotional moment, and we have had to stay home as a preventive measure for the virus; a situation that has brought fear, distance, and reflection.

Programming was paralyzed in schools throughout the region and country. This definitively impacted the sessions that we normally carry out, since each session usually includes 10 or more children (which was strictly prohibited).

We needed to find an alternative to keep us close while distanced. That is how the United from Home initiative was born, which—through our supporters—helps us reach members at home through our programming.

Q: How have you been running LitWorld's programs this year?

Community mailbox for weekly LitClub guides

Gerson: We analyzed different strategies, taking into account the difficulties of access to technology, and concluded that the best way to run LitClubs would be through weekly guides including a topic, question, suggested reading, and activity. These guides are deposited into mailboxes around the community where LitKids can pick them up, complete them at home, and return them to the mailbox for mentors to collect.

Gerson distributing food to LitKids.

Q: What are the Strengths of your community?

Gerson: From my point of view, the strengths we have are: Kindness to people, making them feel at home; Friendship, as our community is very warm; Confidence, knowing that our unity will bring us success; and Hope, knowing that at the end of the road will be the result of our work.

Q: If you had to choose one, which of the 7 Strengths is closest to your community?

Gerson: If I had to choose one strength to characterize us, I believe the closest would be Friendship. Friendship for us is like a light that guides our walk and brings us closer as humans, making each act an act of love to help maintain that feeling of unity and community.

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Un Mundo promotes dignity, community, and self-sufficiency, and facilitates access to education, health services, and sustainable livelihoods amongst populations with scarce economic resources in northern Honduras. Learn more.

Moms LitClub with Ready for Reading in Rwanda is Going Strong!

LitWorld has partnered with Ready for Reading since their official founding in 2012 as they were breaking ground on their now vibrant library and resource center in Rwinkwavu, Rwanda. With the insight of Ready for Reading’s local team, we knew how valuable it would be to start programming to supplement their community outreach, even though there was not yet an official building for holding meetings!

Together, we set up Colette, a mother in the community, to have planning sessions and trainings over video chat with the LitWorld team, and learned from her what it would take to make a Moms LitClub work for her peers, from reading books aloud, to creating a safe space for self-expression and community-building, to providing small bags of cassava flour for each of the mothers to help them support their families with essentials.

We are so proud that this partnership and our Moms LitClub together have continued to flourish for almost nine years now, but don’t take our word for it! Watch the video below to hear straight from our Moms LitClub members about community-wide impact they have made.

Partner Spotlight: Sarah Stripp at Springboard to Opportunities, USA

For this week's Partner Spotlight, we're sharing some important updates from one of our incredible partners here in the United States: Springboard to Opportunities! Read on to learn how your support has been helping them reach families in Mississippi, Maryland, and Alabama through COVID and beyond.

Q: Tell us about this year and how the pandemic has affected your community?

Sarah Stripp

Sarah: The pandemic affected our community in very serious ways. Many people lost work, or had to make the difficult decision of whether to continue working to provide for their family or stay home and support their children's virtual learning.

Due to safety concerns, we haven’t been able to meet with other community members in-person.
This has caused a lot of isolation, and we've had to get very creative about how to connect our mentors with students to ensure that everyone gets the mental health support and care that they need during this time.

Q: How have you been running LitWorld's programs this year?

Sarah: We've been pushing out LitWorld's Virtual Programs to our families. These have been essential for families, and have allowed us to continue our work even without in-person programming. We've also sent books and tools to our student's homes, and adapted the curriculum to make it compatible with online programming. Additionally, mentors and students are now meeting virtually via Google Meet.

Q: Which of the 7 Strengths feels the closest to your community?

Sarah: The Strength I see as really present in our community is Courage. Many of the families that we work with have had to make very difficult choices—particularly in the midst of the pandemic—in order to make sure that everyone in their family has what they need. I am inspired every day by the courageous choices they make, and their persistence in working towards goals for their whole family.

Q: What does "serious joy" mean to you?

I think "serious joy" is when we are grounded in a deeper hope for ourselves and our communities, despite the circumstances around us. It comes from relationships with those who bring out the best in us, while we work to bring out the best in them. It is believing that we can—and should—celebrate with others as they thrive, because all of our joy is tied together.

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Springboard to Opportunities connects families living in affordable housing with resources and programs to help them advance in school, work, and life. 

Click here to learn more, and donate to LitWorld today to make a difference for even more families across the U.S. and around the world!

Partner Spotlight: Sona Traore at LEAD Africa, Liberia!

LitWorld's partners and the LitKids we serve together are the heart of what we do, and we are thrilled to share with you some of their stories and insights from this year with our Partner Spotlights!

This week, we’re welcoming Sona Traore: our Partnership Coordinator at LEAD Africa Monrovia Football Academy in Liberia. Stay tuned to hear more from our community-based partners about how they've been working to stay safe, strong, and hopeful this year—all thanks to the support of people like you.

Q: Tell us about this year and how the pandemic has affected your community?

Sona: We were all affected by the pandemic. When coronavirus hit in March, we kept our students with us on campus. LitClub mentors followed the weekly Virtual LitClub curriculum, which I found helpful because these were unusual times that forced us to be innovative. COVID-19 affected our communities, but we strove through it all and made sure our students were actively participating despite all that was happening.

Sona Traore

Q: How have you been running LitWorld's programs this year?

Sona: Our students love LitClubs! The weekly activities gave them something to look forward to during the virus. I incorporated more stories, music, dance, and creative writing for older students, arts for younger students, and gave daily updates on virus prevention.

It was challenging, but if there's one thing this virus has taught us, it's that we have to come together as a community to fight anything that will break us.

Q:  Which of the 7 Strengths feels closest to your community?

Sona: Our community consists of all 7 Strengths, but we would choose Hope, Courage, and Kindness—especially in the time of the pandemic. Hope kept us going even though we had no idea when all this would be over. We had the courage to go through each day with optimism.

We extended our hands to community members and became more united to overcome the fear of the pandemic.

Q: What does "serious joy" mean to you?

Sona: As a teacher and mentor, serious joy is waking up everyday knowing that my students are happy. It's seeing them strive everyday to make their stories different. It's the enthusiasm my students have for learning, and making sure that I don't lose my motivation to nurture that enthusiasm. It's working towards building a better future for the young people of my country. Serious joy is a LitClub class where we learn, laugh, make mistakes, and unite using our stories.

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 Learn more about LEAD Africa and their work supporting kids in Liberia and Morocco, and support LitWorld's critical work in communities around the globe by donating today!

Traveling the World with the #GlobalHeartMap Project!

This past spring, we reached out to you for the launch our aspirational #GlobalHeartMap project. At a time when many of us felt more distanced than ever due to the pandemic, we asked you to help bring our global community together by sharing what's in your heart with others around the world.

Now, after receiving hundreds of submissions from dozens of different countries, we are thrilled to share this truly global collection of #HeartMaps!

From New York to the Netherlands, Romania to Rwanda, and Canada to Colombia, thank you to everyone who has participated in our #GlobalHeartMap project.

We are so inspired by this display of unity, resilience, and hope. 

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Want to share your Heart Map with the world? It's never too late to join in the fun! Just post a picture of your #HeartMap on social and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.