Kids: We Want Better Schools!

South African kids are taking it into their own hands. Tired of sub-par schools and education, this week thousands of children marched in Cape Town, asking for books and libraries for their schools. The march on city hall was organized by Equal Education, a movement that the New York Times reports has its movements in the anti-apartheid marches of the previous century.
Ninth grader Abongile Ndesi told NYT: “We want more information and knowledge."

Here's some more of what's going on in South Africa, per the Times, as these students step up to demand their own when it comes to education.

Last year, Equal Education gave students in Khayelitsha, home to more than 500,000 unemployed and working-class people, disposable cameras to document problems in their high schools. They returned with shots of leaking roofs, cracked desks and children crowded around a single textbook.
One image — a bank of window panes at Luhlaza high school, all shattered, captured by a student named Zukiswa Vuka — proved the most resonant. Some 500 windows at the school had been broken for years, leaving the students shivering in wintertime classes.
Equal Education’s first campaign was to get them replaced. The school agreed to put up about $650, an amount the group said it would match. That left some $900 still needed. Over months, the group met with local and provincial managers, organized a communitywide petition drive, held a rally of hundreds of township students and garnered coverage in local newspapers.
...
The libraries campaign is the group’s first attempt to tackle a national issue. With financial support from Atlantic Philanthropies and the Open Society Institute, among others, it is also hoping to broaden its membership to include teachers and more parents and to graduate to bigger victories.
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Abongile, the ninth grader from Luhlaza high school, noted appreciatively that she did not have to sit with chattering teeth in class this winter because the broken windows had been fixed.
“I saw that Equal Education can make something impossible possible,” she said.

I don't know about ya'll, but all this talk of kids hungry for libraries reminds me of something going on here in Chattanooga...
Picture taken by Pieter Bauermeister for The New York Times

Summer Reading List

I'm a nerd, and I know it.

As a child, there were few things that made me happier than the freedom of hours stretched out with a good book. Summer reading lists never scared me--there was a new adventure waiting for me between the pages of every assignment.

Here at World Next Door, we believe that reading is one of the best ways to open a child's eyes to the world around them, and in accord with that principle, we stock lots of great children's books. If you're looking for a fun summer read that will give your little ones a global perspective, here are just a few of our favorites.

We're Sailing to Galapagos: A Week in the Pacific
Writen by Laurie Krebs Illustrated by Grazia Restelli

This brightly illustrated book follows a red-sailed boat and its passengers as they visit the islands of Galapagos, 600+ miles off the western coast of Ecuador. The visitors see giant tortoises, lava crabs, blue-footed boobies, and more, discovering a new wonder with each new day. A singsong rhythm makes the book perfect for reading aloud at night, and the beautiful collages used as illustration keep your eyes glued to each page.

Mama Panya's Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya

Written by Mary and Rich Chamberlain Illustrated by Julia Cairns
This African tale teaches children about life in a Kenyan village, and the importance of sharing what we have--even when it doesn't seem like much. Join Adika and Mama Panya as they visit the market, encountering friends at every turn. Adika is quick to invite their friends to join them for a pancake meal that evening, although Mama Panya worries she can't stretch the flour far enough. In the end Adika's generous impulses are rewarded as the village gathers for a feast. Bonus: spicy pancake recipe, map, and glossary of Kiswahili words.

Going to School in India

By Lisa Hedlauff

It can be a wild ride to get to school in India--racing across a river on a wooden swing, balancing gingerly as they tiptoe across a bamboo bridge, riding in a cart between two huge bullocks. And that just covers getting there!

This book gives kids an up-close look at what life is like for millions of children in India. Complete with photos of Indian kids in every imaginable school situation (night school, school in a bus, school after an earthquake...), this book introduces children to the challenges that others face. Going to School in India is cheerful, upbeat, and optimistic about the futre, even as it acknowledges grim facts about the present (98% of disabled children in India do not receive an education).