Education systems around the world are recovering from learning loss due to the pandemic. The Global Book Alliance (GBA) continues to promote best practices in order to ensure children have access to quality reading materials in languages they use and understand. The GBA works to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by working with partners to identify, promote, and support innovations, best practices, and policies that will change the way books are created, procured, and provided. In 2022, the GBA had a major impact on book supply chains and reading materials globally.
IN 2022, THE GLOBAL BOOK ALLIANCE:
CONDUCTED TRANSLATION SPRINTS
In Latin America
In early 2022, the GBA worked with teachers in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Peru to close the book gap by translating early reading material from Spanish into indigenous languages including Kaqchikel, Miskito, and Quechua through the GBA’s Translate A Story initiative. This initiative allows Ministries of Education, higher education institutions, youth-led or youth-serving organizations, non-governmental organizations, and other individuals to create high-quality reading materials in local languages at low cost. Read more here.
Rodia Andrina Sismit Guitz, a Kaqchikel language teacher in Guatemala, says that the GBA Translation Sprint helps combat the myth “that [speaking] the regional language is a weakness, as language permits new opportunities and intellectual development.
In Ukraine
The Translate A Story Ukraine campaign translated more than 170 early grade educational resources on the Global Digital Library into Ukrainian. The translated resources supported Ukrainian children’s learning while displaced and out of school. See the titles here.
STRENGTHENED ITS PARTNERSHIPS
With Ulatus
The GBA launched a partnership with Ulatus, a global translation agency, to ensure books are available in more languages—including French, Hindi, Bengali, Nepali, Vietnamese, Thai, Bahasa Indonesian, Spanish, and Arabic—to support children’s early learning needs.
With a GBA Partner Spotlight: ACR-GCD
All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR-GCD), a GBA partner and Steering Committee member, develops, implements, and scales game-changing ed-tech solutions and tools to bring the gift of reading to children waiting to learn to read.
SHARED NEWS & VIEWS
The Benefits of Read Alouds: World Read Aloud Day
The GBA celebrated World Read Aloud Day, on February 2, with a blog sharing the benefits of reading aloud to children as well as tips to ensure an enjoyable read-aloud experience.
How Caregivers Can Support Reading at Home
The GBA shared ways in which caregivers can support childrens’ literacy at home, even when books may be sparse: find literacy everywhere, show that reading matters, create a habit around reading, and ask questions.
Publisher Elieshi Lema Discusses Private Sector Book Publishing in Africa
The GBA interviewed Elieshi Lema, an accomplished writer and publisher based in Tanzania, to discuss her views on private sector book publishing in Africa - including challenges, access to rural areas, sustainable book distribution, and reading culture. Read more and watch the full interview here.
Why are Locally Published Books So Important?
GBA Deputy Chair, Scott Walter of CODE, traveled to Tanzania and asked local publishers: Why are books published in Tanzania important for Tanzanian children? What makes a great book? Click here to read the responses.
HOSTED WEBINARS ON THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THE BOOK CHAIN
Results-based Financing and Book Development
In January, the GBA joined USAID and the World Bank for a webinar, How Results-based Financing Promote Book Development and Reading at Home? Lessons from Rwanda and Cambodia. The webinar explored how REACH-funded interventions in Rwanda and Cambodia improved the production and accessibility of supplementary reading materials.
Book Use
In April, the GBA hosted a webinar in which DEEP researchers shared findings from a recent USAID-funded literature review on successful practices in increasing book use at home and school.
Private Sector Book Publishing in Africa
The GBA hosted a panel of experts to discuss challenges and opportunities in private sector publishing in Africa. They also touched on key themes like access to books, language, copyright issues, book distribution, and publisher capacity. Learn more and watch the recording here.
More Books with Less Hassle: Resources to Improve Book Procurement and Strengthen Foundational Learning
The GBA partnered with USAID, the World Bank, and EnCompass to deliver a webinar that covered findings from a USAID-commissioned global cost study on the costs of books and the drivers behind these costs. Presenters also shared 10 easy ways to improve book procurement and lower costs, as well as new guidance and tools from the World Bank to support practitioners through each stage of the process. Watch the video, check out the resources, and learn more here.
RELEASED ITS 2021-2024 STRATEGIC PLAN
The GBA launched Global Book Alliance Strategy: Closing the Global Book Gap, Opening the Door to Literacy. This strategy outlines four objective which will shape the GBA’s work:
Increase availability of quality children’s books in local languages and in print and digital formats;
Increase access to quality children’s books at school, in the community, and at home;
Improve use of books by children, teachers, parents, and caregivers; and
Improve knowledge and capacity of the global community and country-level stakeholders to strengthen book supply chains and close the global book gap.
CELEBRATED INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY
The GBA launched Books for Every Child: A Global Pledge
The GBA launched an aspirational pledge, Books for Every Child: A Global Pledge, to bring together the international community towards a commitment to achieve universal literacy for the world’s learners by 2030. Read the pledge and find out more about how you can get involved here.
The GBA supported a virtual storybook reading by USAID
Join USAID Deputy Administrator for Management and Resources, Paloma Adams-Allen, and Deputy Assistant Administrator LeAnna Marr, for a children’s storytime to celebrate literacy and highlight the GBA’s Global Digital Library. Watch here.
LAUNCHED BOOK SUPPLY CHAIN TRAINING MODULES
The GBA and USAID developed seven training modules that cover the phases of the book supply chain and seek to increase understanding of book supply chain challenges and best practices in low- and middle-income countries.
Each module provides the key facts for each of the relevant steps in the book supply chain, describes why each step is important to the smooth functioning of the bok supply chain, and presents challenges and recommended solutions and/or best practices for the challenges identified.
Access the e-learning modules, as well as live training resources, here.
PUBLISHED BOOK SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYSES IN 6 COUNTRIES
Jordan
Jordan has a vibrant publishing sector, but breaks in the book supply chain limit children’s access to affordable and engaging essential reading materials. Read more, including recommendations on how to improve the book supply chain, in the Jordan Book Supply Chain Analysis here.
Cambodia
In Cambodia, gaps in the book supply chain limit children’s access to books they need to learn to read. Read more about Cambodia’s book sector and the GBA’s recommendations on how to strengthen the book supply chain here.
Nigeria
In Nigeria, publishers, authors, practitioners, reading and language experts, lecturers, teachers, community writers, and national and international partnership initiatives have contributed to the creation of essential reading materials (ERM) over a 50-year period of development and innovation. However, federal funding has been insufficient to meet Basic Education book needs in general and reading materials in particular. Federal level annual book procurements cover only 5% of student enrolment in government schools. Read more.
Eastern and Southern Caribbean: Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia
Supply Chain analyses for three countries in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean - Grenada, St. Lucia, and Dominica - were completed in 2022. As there are currently no official supply chains for essential reading materials in the three countries, GBAIA researchers analyzed the supply chain for textbooks for children in primary grades 1 to 4, drawing evidence from the wider textbook supply system where implications were relevant.
Increased Available Titles in the Global Digital Library
The Global Digital Library (GDL) continued to expand the number of books and languages offered. Funded by GBA partner Norad, the Global Digital Library now has over 8500 resources across 109 languages!
Achieved Literacy Success Through the Global Book Alliance in Action (GBAIA)
Malawi
In Malawi, the GBA and USAID Malawi conducted workshops with local publishers to ensure that quality children’s books are accessible and in languages children use. They also worked with the Malawian Ministry of Education to develop 50 new openly-licensed children’s books in Chichewa. The GBA also supported the Malawian government in the development of a National Book Policy by holding regional consultations across the country.
The Tiwerenge! (Let’s Read!) reading campaign was piloted in 246 schools and communities. Through a combination of social and behavior change communication messages and community engagement trainings, more than 100,00 parents were trained on how to support their children’s reading. 500,000 new children’s books in Chichewa were disseminated to the parents for at home reading.
Mali
In Mali, the GBA and USAID Mali partnered together with local publishers to develop children’s books in Bamanankan, a local language, and distributed 105,000 books to schools.
Tanzania
In Tanzania, the GBA and USAID Tanzania conducted workshops with publishers to develop high quality early grade reading materials for children in Kiswahili. Read more about those workshops here.
Thank You to Our GBA Partners
The GBA thanks all of its partners for their important contributions this year. In 2023, the GBA looks forward to another year full of collaboration as we continue to work towards a future where all children have access to quality, relevant reading materials in languages they can read and understand.