Press Release

“WRITING FOR KIDS” SUPPLEMENTARY READERS

January 25, 2005

A new series of children’s books written by Namibians for Namibians will soon be available for the reading pleasure of young learners in the North.

“Writing for Kids” book launch will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 27 at the Ruacana Meeting Room in the Nampower Conference Center.  Books will be presented to the Honourable Minister for Basic Education, Sport and Culture, Mr. John Mutorwa, by the Director of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Namibia, Mr. Gary Newton.  Authors and illustrators will present signed copies of their books to guests at the ceremony.  The Directors of Education from Oshana, Omusati, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Kavango and Caprivi Education Regions and senior officials of the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture will attend the book launch.

The first two titles in a series of books being released under the “Writing for Kids” program are: Kun//a’s Questions, written by Emmerentiana Sebetwane, Eliawe Mandjoro, and Sadrag Ihemba and illustrated by Josia Tafari Shilongo; and The Whistling Man, written by Magda Swartz and illustrated by Petrus Amuthenu.  The books have been translated into Oshikwanyama, Oshindonga, Rukwangali, and Silozi. 

The “Writing for Kids” program is funded by the U.S. Mission to Namibia through USAID under the Basic Education Support II (BES II) Project for which the Academy for Educational Development (AED) is the main implementer and source of technical support. 

The books’ authors are all student-teachers at Namibia’s colleges of education who were trained by the National Institute of Education Development (NIED) in a writing camp in May, 2004. The stories were edited and translated by NIED education officers and illustrated by students at the John Muafangeyo Art Centre in Windhoek. The books were designed and published by Pollination Publishers, Namibia.

Books will be distributed to primary schools in the six northern education regions for use in Grades 2 and 3 to promote improved reading and increased awareness of HIV/AIDS and related health issues that can affect young learners and their families.

A new phase of U.S. support for basic education was launched in October 2004 under which US$21.4 million will be provided over the next five years to further strengthen basic education in Namibia.  Since 1991, USAID has provided approximately N$407.6 million in support of Namibian efforts to provide quality basic education for all.  

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