Creative volunteers are writing and illustrating free books to help kids in South Africa with literacy
Book Dash is working to make sure that all children in South Africa see themselves in the stories they read.
The nonprofit was founded in 2014, and brings together volunteers to write and design books for South African kids. Each team has a professional writer, illustrator, editor, and designer, and over the course of a 12-hour "dash," they put together a picture book.
The topics range from the silly to the serious, and over the last seven years, more than 140 books have been made and 1 million copies distributed. The books are passed out by literacy organizations and charities, with the free PDFs posted online. Most are written in English, but several have been translated into other South African languages, to reach a wide audience.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In 2016, the South African Book Development Council found that nearly 60 percent of homes in the country don't have a single book. Books are expensive there, and with about 6 in 10 South African children living in poverty, it's clear why so many kids don't have access. Book Dash Director Dorette Louw told The Christian Science Monitor the organization was started because "we were devastated by the idea that having a book was a luxury good in South Africa."
Growing up, graphic designer and Book Dash volunteer Thokozani Mkhize was always reading. She realized as an adult that almost all of her books came from abroad, and there was a real lack of South African stories. Book Dash is changing that for this generation of kids, and Mkhize told the Monitor she is happy to be part of the movement. "You see yourself in these stories and these characters," Mkhize said. "You can feel, 'I am normal, my experiences are normal, and my stories are important, too.'"
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
5 brain-busting cartoons about RFK Jr.
Cartoons Artists take on candidate suitability, the Kennedy family, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Right to roam: the battle to access England's green spaces
The Explainer A battle is being fought over access to England's green spaces
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: May 12, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published