The idea: creating a clearinghouse for locally produced and directed literacy devices that both support the educational advancement of communities as well as perpetuate the local language and culture. Looking at what is needed, what has already worked, and how these strategies can be grown to match the huge literacy needs in the Global South. Locally produced educational games; locally produced readers that support both primary and secondary language acquisition; materials that deepen local cultures through the simple retelling of local stories, myths, etc.
Using primary language literacy and local innovation to support the development of secondary language literacy. Using what has already been done in the field, growing it, building it, making an organic network of providers, ideally an outpost in each involved country to support this educational development drive.
The plan: visiting some amazing organizations already on the ground trailblazing in this exact area; witnessing the successes and failures, and creating a network, an open-sourced model to be followed in any community with the desire for educational progress and advancement. The question is: why can the models, already developed by organizations such as Room to Read and Mango Tree, not be replicated and duplicated, with the simple goal of literacy development? Building upon success and branching out so all communities across the global south can benefit from the simple power of local language development initiatives such as :
www.mangotreeuganda.org
www.ethiopiareads.org
http://www.roomtoread.org/Page.aspx?pid=320
The question is, why not.
