week 6

 Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.
Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General
The International Children's Literacy Corps (ICLC) is a non-profit organization founded in 1999 that has as its mission to increase literacy among pre-school children in the developing world, starting with sub-Saharan Africa.

 In the developed world most of us take reading for granted.  We read the paper over breakfast, reports at work, books in school, magazines on the train, and a story before bedtime.  We rarely lack for the written word.  When we do, there is always the library.  In much of the developing world, however, things are quite different.  Globally, almost one billion people cannot read.  Many others can, but have nothing to read.

 The traditional approach to endemic illiteracy in the developing world has been on the supply side, with efforts going to shipping books and housing them in newly-built libraries.   The ICLC, too, initially took this approach.  Its costliness, however, led us to come at the problem in a new way, one that seeks to influence not just the supply but also the demand for reading materials.  Called "Reading for Life," ICLC’s initiative takes advantage of existing institutions, resources, and infrastructures to develop and distribute age-appropriate, locally relevant, and fun reading materials on a mass scale to future young readers and their families, and does so with negligible costs.  This distribution works in tandem with a role model-driven public service campaign that disseminates the crucial message that reading is a family activity and that those who can read must read with those who can not.  We are implementing our pilot program in Senegal.
   

 
In Douala, the commercial center of Cameroon, the ICLC has funded and continues to support the country’s first private library that is open to the public.  It is now the focal point of a knowledge-hungry community of all ages.  This project was the catalyst for the inception of the ICLC and continues to serve as a model of how like-minded groups can, even with limited means, create lasting, positive change with wide-ranging impact over great distances.




 
Working with AJPH, our local partner in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, the ICLC delivered toys, books, pre-school equipment and supplies to establish two pre-schools, which are connected to nutritional centers for young mothers.  This is a perfect venue for young children, their mothers and books to come together and start building a lasting relationship.

Why sub-Saharan Africa?

According to recent UNESCO estimates, of the top 20 nations with the lowest literacy rates, 10 are in sub-Saharan Africa.  There, more than half the population over 15 years of age is illiterate. And women are particularly hard hit:  more than 70% are illiterate (close to 90% of women in Niger can not read).  But the desperate situation in Sub-Saharan Africa does have a few bright spots, places with a legacy of education, and the use of French and English as important secondary and sometimes primary languages.  It is in these areas that the ICLC is focusing its first efforts.  In Senegal, where we are starting the Reading for Life initiative, only about one half of the population can read.

Why Reading?

Illiteracy is just one of an array of social, medical, and economic of problems plaguing sub-Saharan Africa.  AIDS, famine, civil and clan warfare, and chronic economic underdevelopment vie for attention in a region that generally receives very little.  In this context, the issue of literacy is often overlooked due to its relatively "benign" nature.   The ICLC addresses the fact that illiteracy is not benign at all ? it is directly linked to under education, overpopulation, and economic stagnation.    While there is no single solution to these interconnected problems, there is one common denominator to any such effort:  to improve education and access to knowledge at all levels of society, especially the lowest.  Literacy is the fundamental lynchpin in this effort.


Why Children?

Short life expectancies are a tragic reality in the region (fifty-three in Senegal and forty-five in Burkina Faso, as opposed to seventy-nine in France).   This makes it imperative that children ? ideally, of pre-school age -- be the focus of literacy efforts.   By focusing on young children and preparing them for school, our goal is to pre-empt dropouts and stimulate a life-long love of reading.  In turn this will help to develop a deeper reading culture, to narrow the literacy gap between boys and girls, and to build generations of readers who will enrich their communities even as reading enriches their own lives.


How:  Reading for Life

The program is simple: to harness three pre-existing resources and use them together to power a fun, effective, and low-cost family-based attack on illiteracy from the bottom up.  The pre-schools and primary schools will be among the distribution vehicles for locally created, richly illustrated, quality reading material aimed at young children ages two through six.  At the same time, outdoor billboard and radio will be used as media calling on all those who can read to read aloud to others, early and often.  Existing readers (parents, older siblings, uncles, aunts) will be the catalyst to match demand with supply in the home, and ensure that everyone gets a story before bedtime.

This new approach is revolutionary in its simplicity.  As it makes use of existing infrastructure, it is relatively cheap, involves few long-term agreements and mandates local participation and action in all aspects of the initiative.  Equally important, it will complement (rather than duplicate) other development efforts aimed at children, families, and education.   Reading for Life will sow the seeds of a sustainable reading culture and prepare children for school by helping them develop a comfortable and confident relationship with the written word.  Click here for some sample images.
 

The Role of the ICLC

The ICLC has three significant roles: the first is to raise funds to enable the implementation of Reading for Life, the second to implement the program at the local level together with its partner in Senegal, and the third to evaluate and improve upon the program for subsequent execution in other sub-Saharan nations.  As the center point of alliance among authors, illustrators, educators, corporate partners and other NGOs, the ICLC will exercise editorial supervision over content to ensure a robust and exciting pipeline of appropriate materials.  We will develop innovative delivery methods, explore channels of distribution.


Your help will make this happen.

Please contribute by sending a check payable to The International Children's Literacy Corps and mail it to:

The International Children's Literacy Corps
6 Jason Lane
Mamaroneck, NY 10543


The ICLC is recognized by the IRS as a non-profit organization (501c3) and all donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

For more information or to find out how you can support us, please contact us at:

info@readingforlife.org or by mail at the above address, or by phone at:  914-834-2615

Week 2 6990-1

Three local organizations that I would like to be apart of would be a prestigious Black Sorority that I would not like to name, the Wake County Educators Committee, and NCNW (National Council of Negro Women) which I was apart of in college. These organizations do a lot of community service and scholarships for children who want to go to college after high school.

Currently there are state jobs at the Morehead School of the Blind located in Raleigh, NC as a residential coordinator. I am interested in this job because my mother is blind she has been blind since I was 8 years old and have learned a lot by helping her do certain task.

I would preferably like to wait to apply for this position once I receive my Masters degree.

SEE YA LATER.....

So this is it. In this program I have learned that everyone isn't raised and wasn't raised like I was families have different views and outlooks on life and I am obligated to respect that. Secondly, as an administrator I will have my own rules that my staff must follow but I also have rules an procedures that I have to follow. Lastly, I have learned that team work makes the dream work. Parents, teachers and administrators always have to work together for the well being of the children.

Long term I would like to work for the state of North Carolina as an Early Childhood coordinator and then move to a Federal level.....simple right?

I would like to thank my colleagues for their insite and their opinions. To Dr. Dartt thank you for your helpful thoughts and comments and keeping us encouraged.

SEE YA LATER WEEK 8

Well one class down 4 more to go!! I think!! I have enjoyed this class and I have learned a lot from Dr. Hampshire and you.... my wonderful colleagues. I know that we will all meet again eventually. I wish you all great success and pray that you all prosper and fulfill all of your dreams. Remember that with God all things are possible. Communication has created really successful relationships and I think that is what our class has created for all of us. Thank you...Thank you...Thank you. Until we meet again...God Bless!!!

WEEK 6 BLOG

When you become comfortable in certain situations it is hard to leave and start over. Especially if there are feelings and emotions involved. Adjourning something that has created a bond between a group of people can be hard to walk away from.
When I was in high school I had five very close friends, we called ourselves the "05 Heffas" because of our graduation year. We had to face the fact that we all would be seperating from each other in August of 2005. We have all known each other since we were in elementary and middle school. We all were going to different cities and we were going to build new friendships. Before we graduated we tried to spend as much time as possible with each other. But, our separation wasn't that bad because we would get together for holidays and over the summer.
I think adjourning can also be a time to grow and to see what you have learned from that group. From my group of friends I learned  how important friendship is and even though you may be distant from each other, your friendship should be strong enough that you never miss a beat when you meet again.

WEEK 5 BLOG

One of my parents complains all the time about how me and my co-teacher don't put on enough diaper cream or that we put their daughters diaper on too tight, CRAZY things. It had gotten so crazy with her complaining that she took her complaints to our director and our director began to focus the camera in our classroom to make sure that we were  doing things correctly. I wasn't worried about it because Mrs. Linda is very experienced and I am quite savy and educated and people oriented and I have great ideas so I know we weren't doing anything wrong. I took it upon myself to pull the patent asside and asked her could we have a conference. We had the conference and it came to my attention her a d her husband were getting a divorce. It was taking a toll on her and her family. I showed empathy for her because she was obviously  brokenhearted. Sometimes as educators we need to take the initiative to ask questions and show concern. That open communication can be very, very helpful.

WEEK 4 BLOG

During this week I took some evaluations and I had my boyfriend and his frat brother to the peer/ colleague evaluations. It was discovered that I have no problem communicating its just how I communicate at times with others. Sometimes I become aggressive when talking to people. If I feel offended by a comment that is made I let the person/persons know that I am. My voice may sometimes raise and my facial expressions show how I may feel without possibly completing sentences.

I am confident when communicating and I make eye contact. Making eye contact show that you are sincere. I am a good listener. Before expressing my opinions I hear peoples views and their opinions. Many people forget to do that when communicating. When you don't listen you miss important points.

My boyfriend and I are just a like when we get into arguments neither one of us will break down. One of us  has to get the last word. It doesn't even have to be a heated argument just a small disagreement and he thinks he should be the last to speak whether he is wrong or not.