Dreams For My Daughter

Posted by admin on 01.22.2008 at 3:22 pm

It’s been about a week since I and four other Better World Books employees visited Cambodia to see first hand the incredible impact that Room to Read is making in Cambodian schools through their library, computer classroom and Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship progroms.

The most soul stirring part of the trip was our visit to the family of a Room to Grow scholar named Yum Sophally. To reach her home we traveled almost 2 ½ hours each way using 3 modes of transportation. The first hour we traveled by car and to our surprise transferred to a hummer truck in order to traverse the rocky and practically road less terrain. Lastly, a 30 minute boat ride brought us to a small fishing community by the name of Thnot Leam Bot which translates into “broken palms”. This small village is the home of 17 Room to Read scholars.

Prior to Room to Read’s assistance these girls would have had to make the very expensive 2 ½ hour trek each day to and from school. However, thanks to the scholarship program, room and board is provided for the scholars close to the school where they are cared for by their teachers.

We were graciously welcomed into the home of Yum’s mother, In Lavy. In Lavy is a 58 year old widower and 16 year old Yum is her only child. As a testament to this woman’s generosity and warmth she has taken in her orphaned niece and nephew who did their homework in the next room as we spoke. In Lavy described Yum as a quiet, gentle, and studious girl who is incredibly cautious and thoughtful. In Lavy, knows that her investment in her education is crucial to Yum fulfilling her dreams of becoming a teacher or doctor.

Although, mother and daughter only see each three times a year they have fully embraced this opportunity as only 19% of Cambodian girls are enrolled in school at the secondary level. As we closed our interview In Lavy promised that “As long as I’m on the earth I’m committed to helping my daughter continue her education.”

Have your say » | Tagged Impact, Our Partners, cambodia, campus division in southeast asia, Impact, Our Partners, room to read

Johnny Can’t Read?

Posted by Jack on 01.22.2008 at 1:26 pm

It’s now over 50 years since Rudolf Flesch released his blockbuster book “Why Johnny Can’t Read,” questioning some of education’s failures in the US, particularly in reference to literacy. Now half a century later, the problem continues, and educators face even more struggles teaching in classrooms that not only face the kind of socioeconomic diversity that have characterized the challenge of public schooling for years, but now a new kind of challenge has taken hold.  Many students, particularly in the Latino community (15% of all non-institutionalized citizens by the March 2006 census), come from backgrounds in which the first language is not English or English is not spoken in the home.

In reference to this demographic, Richard Riley, former Secretary of Education (1993-2001) in the US commented in his March of 2000 speech, “54 percent of all teachers have limited English proficient (LEP) students in their classrooms, yet only one-fifth of teachers feel very prepared to serve them.”

In response to this state of affairs, the NCFL, our partner in US literacy, sponsors hundreds of programs all around the US and they have never been more important than today.  You don’t have to become a teacher to help the situation, check out the NCFL’s website for ideas.  Their latest approach offers “five $600,000 educational grants to benefit hispanic and other immigrant families for literacy efforts.”  It’s not just Johnny who can’t read.

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, books, literacy, thoughts

High-Fives, Kareem, and Dominos

Posted by admin on 01.21.2008 at 2:11 pm

A few of us from the Library Team were recently in Philadelphia for the ALA Mid-Winter Meeting.  We had a great time high-fiving librarians, seeing our current clients, enjoying the ALA sponsored band, and meeting new libraries.

As usual, we had a tasting of the local cuisine.  Christian and I even had a surprising run-in on our hotel elevator with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who was in town promoting his most recent book On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance!

Doesn’t it look good??

Philadelphia was littered with sculptures throughout the city.  You’re never quite sure what you will run into around the corner.  At the base of one of the buildings, were HUGE board game pieces.

Don’t crush me!!

And although I didn’t get a chance to visit the statue, Philadelphia is of course home to the one and only Rocky Balboa.

“Yo, Adrian! I bought a book off BetterWorld.com!”

I look forward to the next conference and seeing everyone again.  Thanks to those who stopped by our booth and I hope you had just as great a time as I did!

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, ALA, American Library Association, conferences, library

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Posted by admin on 01.21.2008 at 12:37 pm

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Christian Blue, Account Representative: I know I’m not the only one to get goosebumps when I hear his voice resonate “I have a dream” It’s always been that way, but it was not until I read “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in college that I understood Dr. King’s strength of purpose and character.  It’s a true testament to why he led the movement he did.   Since any further attempt at describing his impact would surely fall short, I will leave you all with the attached letter (above link). I like to read it every MLK Day and it never fails to inspire.

Damara Catlett, Northern Mid-Atlantic Regional Director: There is so much to love about this picture (below) including the religious diversity in the background, the cultural diversity of the students, the BFA video playing (courtesy of Maura) and of course the posing-love it!

Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director: Martin Luther King did what he did, and was who he was, for scenes like this: that students could sit together, regardless of color, class or creed and be together, to study, to share experiences and to work for a common goal: to help those in need and create a Better World!

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, martin luther king day

Tips to Encourage Your Child to Read

Posted by admin on 01.18.2008 at 10:17 am

Tips to Encourage Your Child to Read from Wendy Mass
More tips for getting kids to read!

Today on The Friday Flyer, Wendy Mass, author of “A Mango-Shaped Space” and “Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life,” has given some tips on providing your children with good books that they’ll enjoy!

1. If you don’t have much time to search, look for books with award stickers on them. Dedicated committees of librarians spend a lot of time selecting the cream of the crop so you don’t have to.

2. Pass along the books that you loved growing up. These are very often still in print, and often with updated covers. This is also a great way to bring you and your young reader closer.

3. Don’t pass over classics like The Cat in the Hat and Charlotte’s Web. Just because you’ve seen them your whole life, doesn’t mean a child has.

4. Describe your young reader’s interests, hobbies, and reading level to a children’s librarian or bookseller, and ask for appropriate recommendations.

I only highlighted 4 of the 8 and it was awfully difficult to choose, so check her recommendations for yourself at the site.

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, jeremy fink and the meaning of life, literacy, reading and kids, wendy mass

All About Perspective (pt. 2)

Posted by admin on 01.17.2008 at 10:16 am

(posted by Better World Books alum, Natasha Harris)

I’m currently sitting in a Los Angeles coffee shop sipping on a rather tasty latte that cost (gulp) a whopping $3.65. That’s some perspective. Just last week I would probably have been sipping an even more delicious cup of Vietnamese coffee (probably at this very moment, as it’s 6pm here, and Vietnam is 15 hours into the future – 9am breakfast) that cost all of $.33 and came from a cup that did not have a Starbucks label on it.

Since back, I’ve sat down several times to put down a few words about my experiences in Southeast Asia for all of you. It’s been difficult to find words to express all that I encountered while there, and several times I’ve put aside my notes for other things, waiting for the words to come to me.

What struck me most in this entire adventure was not the incredible temple visits that we did (see Aaron King’s January 13^th blog posting entitled “Life Comes at You Fast” for an insightful and thoroughly regaling account of our trip itinerary), or the fuzzy feeling that comes from being on the other side of the world, or the inherent beauty of Southeast Asia, or the food or even the poverty (which was certainly striking) – it was that deep-rooted optimism, that trust in tomorrow that so many people displayed and felt so intrinsically. In the week I spent in Cambodia with Room to Read and the many people I interacted with while there, I saw it over and over, and the impact of it was so humbling I know I’ll never find the right words to describe it no matter how long I stare at this computer. Again, perspective.

For those of you who are unaware of what’s been happening in Cambodia over these past many decades (don’t feel bad) – here is the quickest of recaps: the Khmer Rouge was a very radical communist party that was in power in Cambodia from 1975-1979 (and thereafter, though less officially). Its main goals were to turn Cambodia into a classless agrarian society, and to that end it abolished currency, private property and religion, and forced people out of the cities and into intensive labor camps to work the fields. During this four year period, roughly 1.5 – 2 million people (about 20% of the population) died from overwork, starvation, torture and execution. Almost immediately after its rise to power, the Khmer Rouge began a program of mass executions – among the first to die were the elite, religious figures and the educated … right down to anyone who wore glasses. In a few short years, an entire generation of educated citizens was wiped out, setting the stage for a most dire situation in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge’s reign of horror.

Not only did the Khmer Rouge implement mass-killings of the educated but it also destroyed much of the education-based infrastructure that existed throughout the country. In Siem Riep Province , where we spent our week with Room to Read, only one high school and twenty primary schools remained after the Khmer Rouge regime’s fall from power. Cambodia has faced an arduous uphill battle on every imaginable front to get to the point its reached today, and yes, there is still a long way to go. Today, Siem Riep boasts 56 high schools and 452 primary schools, along with 2 vocational training centers and a teacher training college. That’s quite an improvement! Ask any Cambodian and they will proudly acknowledge how far they’re come, recognizing of course how much is left to go.

As a westerner, I’m going to have to take a moment to be a realist and relay to you a few of the things we noted on our trip. For starters, resources are still so lacking that no child in a Cambodian public school attends for more than half the day. Teachers can sometimes be fairly under-educated themselves, and are always extremely underpaid (about $40 per month). The government only has $600-$800 million as its total annual budget, thus its contributions to education cannot meet demand. On a Room to Read visit to Angkor Wat High School (where Room to Read had built a beautiful library and also supplied a computer lab and language lab), the headmaster identified the school’s most imminent need as electricity – the school’s monthly electric bill is in the vicinity of $300-$350, and this cost cannot be subsidized by the government. The school lives in constant fear of not being able to keep its lights on. And then there is the issue of supplies – another school we visited (one where Room to Read is planning to build a library this year – 2008!) had 2,315 students and a current total of 200-300 books … to share … between everyone.

I think back on my childhood and on the privileged path I’ve been on since the age of two.  I’ve always been a reader – a passion that was heavily supported by my family and my teachers throughout my formative years.  In all my life, I’ve never suffered for the lack of a good book to read.  I’ve also been given plenty of recognition and offered numerous scholarships to help me achieve my dreams.  I grew up in a country where I was taught that if I think big and believe in myself there is no threshold I cannot cross – no barrier to keep me from my dreams.  How much of this have I taken for granted?  How many classes have I skipped in my life because I had something “better” to do?  I look back on myself and my classmates growing up and I realize that all of us – the richest of us, the poorest, the most clever and more challenged – we all approached our education with at least some degree of indifference, at least some of the time.  And why not?  Education was always a given, at least through high school.  I remember whining about going back to school after a long vacation, wishing I could spend my days outside instead of being cooped up in a classroom with all of its rules and expectations.  Cambodia put that all in perspective.

In Cambodia, we met students who, though they lived 15 (very rough) kilometers from home, couldn’t afford to get there more than twice a year.  These students came from very poor, very isolated fishing islands and would not have had a chance for a secondary education without Room to Read.  Room to Read sends them to school on scholarship, pays for their meals, pays for their housing.  I can’t imagine, in 7th grade, being faced with knowing that my stab at an education would come at the price of having to leave my family and everything I’ve ever known.  That’s dedication.  That’s perspective.  I’m so overwhelmed by the bravery of these students, and of the mothers they leave behind as they work towards a better future!

We met hundreds of students on this journey – students of all ages. It was wonderful to have an opportunity to speak to so many of them, and to hear their stories (video footage soon to follow so we can share these stories with all of you). No one’s story was easy, but the one resounding theme I heard throughout – from students and parents alike – was that education is extremely valuable. These students were so grateful for the opportunity to be in school – to study, to work hard, to prove their worth and to build those bridges to the better tomorrows they knew lay ahead. That utter faith, that utter resolve, that perseverance and hope and trust – it was beautiful, astonishing, uplifting … staggering. My latte has long gone cold but if you’re still reading – I’d like to end with this. We don’t all start life on the same footing, but we all deserve to get the most we can out of it. Doing something good for someone else in the world is a lot easier than you’d think – and no problem is ever so overwhelming when you break it down into manageable bits. Some good places to start? I’d of course suggest running a book drive to benefit Room to Read as a most excellent beginning step. Personally, I feel invigorated to start pounding pavement with Better World Books so I can bring on as many book drives as possible. After all, more book drives = more money raised = more scholarships, more libraries … more everything. Here are just a couple other suggestions:

- Run book drives with Better World Books to benefit Room to Read

- Donate directly to organizations that you have researched. Funding a one-year girl’s scholarship through Room to Read is only $250!

- Educate yourself on global issues and share what you learn with friends, family, your barista, your bank teller – everyone you can. I think we’ll all be more inclined towards action if we understand the world as a smaller place.

- Travel – anywhere you can, whenever you can. New perspectives will change you in wonderful ways that you’ll hopefully never quite recover from.

Thanks all, for reading this. Look for more to come from other trip companions in the next few days.

Above are some of the beautiful faces of students that we met during our travels with Room to Read.

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, campus division in southeast asia, Impact, Natasha, Our Partners, room to read

All About Perspective (pt. 1)

Posted by admin on 01.17.2008 at 10:13 am

(posted by Better World Books alum, Natasha Harris)

I’m currently sitting in a Los Angeles coffee shop sipping on a rather tasty latte that cost (gulp) a whopping $3.65.  That’s some perspective.  Just last week I would probably have been sipping an even more delicious cup of Vietnamese coffee (probably at this very moment, as it’s 6pm here, and Vietnam is 15 hours into the future – 9am breakfast) that cost all of $.33 and came from a cup that did not have the Starbucks label on it.

Since back, I’ve sat down several times to put down a few words about my experiences in Southeast Asia for all of you.  It’s been difficult to find words to express all that I experienced while there, and several times I’ve put aside my notes for other things, waiting for the words to come to me.

What struck me most from this entire experience was not the incredible temple visits that we did (see Aaron King’s January 13th blog posting entitled “Life Comes at You Fast” for an insightful and thoroughly regaling account of our trip itinerary), or the fuzzy feeling that comes from being on the other side of the world, or the inherent beauty of Southeast Asia, or the food or even the poverty (which was certainly striking) – it was that deep-rooted optimism, that trust in tomorrow that so many people displayed and felt so intrinsically.  In the week I spent in Cambodia with Room to Read and the many people I interacted with while there, I saw it over and over, and the impact of it was so humbling I know I’ll never find the right words to describe it no matter how long I stare at this computer.  Again, perspective.

For those of you who are unaware of what’s been happening in Cambodia over these past many decades (don’t feel bad) – here is the quickest of recaps:  the Khmer Rouge was a very radical communist party that was in power in Cambodia from 1975-1979 (and thereafter, though less officially).  Its main goals were to turn Cambodia into a classless agrarian society, and to that end it abolished currency, private property and religion, and forced people out of the cities and into intensive labor campus to work the fields.  During this four year period, roughly 1.5 – 2 million people (about 20% of the population) died from overwork, starvation, torture and execution.  Almost immediately after its rise to power, the Khmer Rouge began a program of mass executions – among the first to die were the elite, religious figures and the educated … right down to anyone who wore glasses.  In a few short years, an entire populated of educated people was wiped out, setting the stage for a most dire situation in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge’s reign of horror.

Not only did the Khmer Rouge implement mass-killings of the educated but it also destroyed much of the education-based infrastructure that existed throughout the country.  In Siem Riep Province, where we spent our week with Room to Read, only one high school and twenty primary schools remained after the Khmer Rouge regime fall from power.  Cambodia has faced an arduous uphill battle on every imaginable front to get to the point its reached today, and yes, there is still a long way to go.  Today, Siem Riep boasts 56 high schools and 452 primary schools, along with 2 vocational training centers and a teacher training college.  That’s quite an improvement!  Ask any Cambodian and they will proudly acknowledge how far they’re come, recognizing of course how much is left to go.

As a westerner, I’m going to have to take a moment to be a realist and relay to you a few of the things we noted on our trip.  For starters, resources are still so lacking that no child in a Cambodian public school attends for more than half the day.  Teachers can sometimes be fairly under-educated themselves, and are always extremely underpaid (about $40 per month).  The government only has $600-$800 million as its total annual budget, thus its contribution to education cannot meet demand.  On a Room to Read visit to Angkor Wat High School (where Room to Read had built a beautiful library and also supplied a computer lab and language lab), the headmaster identified the school’s most immediate and pressing need as electricity – the school’s monthly electric bill is in the vicinity of $300-$350, and this cost cannot be subsidized by the government.  The school lives in constant fear of not being able to keep its lights on.  And then there is the issue of supplies – another school we visited (one where Room to Read is planning to build a library this year – 2008!) had 2,315 students and a current total of 200-300 books … to share … between everyone.

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, Better World Books in the field, campus division in southeast asia, Impact, Natasha, Our Partners, room to read

University of Oran update!

Posted by admin on 01.15.2008 at 3:41 pm

Another great update from Martha Schouten at the University of Oran in Algeria, recent recipient of a Better World Books-funded Books for Africa shipment. Check out previous posts here:
-University of Oran Receives BFA Books!,
-Better World Books Funds Shipment to the University of Oran in Algeria,
-University of Oran gets ready for books!,
-University of Oran update)


Dear Pat and Sarah Lynne,

Life goes by slowly here in Algeria and so do our books’ preparations. The students worked all Christmas-El Kebir vacation then I went to Spain for a week to see my son and the Algerian librarian went to Paris for a week and now we are finally back to class. Most of 300 boxes have been listed for the rector and are about ready to circulate in the large library in the language department. The rector is determined to protect the books and to keep a diligent watch on them. Students will only be able to consult the titles of the books in order to check out from the large library. For the moment there is not enough security and the students and teachers are little accustomed to any other method.

My English club members are now working on our smaller walk-through library. If this goes well then the larger library will allow walk through too.  We have to make cards for each book we have selected and also put them into the computer. Our collection comes almost last then we will make a donation to the University of Mostaganam about 30 miles East from here along the coast. The teachers have come to see me and are overwhelmed at the variety of the generous gift you have made us. The medical literature has gone to the medical school already to my knowledge and the children’s books to another children’s library near the main campus of translation and law.

I am sending a few pictures of the library permanent crew and my students. We had a barbecue of merguez (grilled mutton sausage) and all the trimmings the first day we were back in class. We are on campus not too far from the library. I hope you both enjoy them.

Martha Schouten and English students
ELF Es-Senia
Oran Algeria

4 Comments » | Tagged Impact, Our Partners, algeria, better world books fund, books for africa, Impact, Our Partners, university of oran

Things I Love: Statistics and Literacy

Posted by admin on 01.15.2008 at 12:42 pm

New numbers have been released by the National Center for Education Statistics!

Between 1993 and 2005, the likelihood that children ages 3-5 and not yet in kindergarten are read to daily by a family member has increased by 7%! That is a rise from 53% to 60%, but unfortunately that still leaves 40% of young children in the United States not being read to daily!

And, remember how the NCFL always says that children who have parents that can read are more likely to read themselves? Well lo and behold, the National Center for Education Statistics report agrees. Notice:

Because my sweet Excel graph is somewhat vague, I will tell you the exact numbers:
-41% of children whose mothers have less than a high school diploma were read to daily.
-55% of children whose mothers have a high school diploma were read to daily.
-60% of children whose mothers had some postsecondary education were read to daily.
-72% of children whose mothers had a bachelor’s degree or more were read to daily.

Let’s all take a moment to appreciate that the little ones in our lives look to us as examples. Whether you’re a parent or an aunt or a cousin or a friend, if you want children to value education, they must see every day that you value education for yourself and them.

YAY LITERACY! There are lots more fun numbers to mull over at the original source

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized

Eggers and “What is the What?”

Posted by admin on 01.15.2008 at 11:42 am

You may know Dave Eggers from his excellent A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, a classic but contemporary Bildungsroman for the Gen-Y-ers.  But did you know that Eggers also founded the 826 Valencia Center?  826 is a wonderful program that I’ll go into more in the future (we volunteer there currently!), but right now what I want to talk about is his latest book: What is the What?

What is the What? tells the true story of Valentino Achak Deng, who was part of the group known as the Lost Boys of Sudan. This group of more than 27,000 boys traveled across Southern Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya in search of refuge during the Second Sudanese Civil War in the 1980s and 1990s. What is the What is the novelized version of Mr. Deng’s autobiography.”

“One Book, One Philadelphia,” a program in its sixth season, “carefully chooses one book each year to dissect and celebrate. The program aims to unify and educate Philadelphians through reading.”  What is the What was chosen “…in part because of its relevance to the current situation in Darfur, which mimics the recent war in Sudan. The city hopes that the book’s candid representation of violence will resonate with readers and help them to reflect on issues of violence worldwide and within our city. Mr. Eggers praised the “One Book” program, admiring the city’s desire to promote reading on such a large scale.”

(original story and quotes from The Bulletin, Philly’s free newspaper)

Click on the photos for more info on the books and to buy them at BetterWorld.com!

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, africa, Book & Author News, Dave Eggers, heartbreaking work of staggering genius, what is the what