Every year, StoryWeaver marks International Mother Language Day (IMLD) to remind us all that learning to read in one’s mother tongue early in school makes education more engaging, meaningful and enjoyable for children. 

Suzanne Singh, Chairperson, Pratham Books, says: ​“Children love stories and they are an ​important​ ​part​ ​of​ ​a​ ​child’s growth​ ​and​ ​development. Children need storybooks that they can relate to and that are in languages that they speak and understand. Through StoryWeaver,  we are trying to address the inequity in the availability of reading resources by providing open and free access to over 18,000 storybooks in 224 languages and fostering the respect for cultural and linguistic diversity.” 

International Mother Language Day 2022

In 2020, we're ringing in International Mother Language Day by helping volunteers conduct more than 1000 reading sessions for children in over 60 languages! This week, volunteers from around the world are using StoryWeaver’s digital repository of multilingual storybooks to read to children in several languages, including mainstream Indian languages (Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu), indigenous languages (Kuvi, Pawari, Santali), vulnerable languages (Gondi, Korku), classical languages (Sanskrit) and other languages from around the world (Arabic, Igbo, Nepali). 

30,000 schools in the state of Chhattisgarh, India (of which 15,000 are in tribal areas) have been encouraged to celebrate International Mother Language Day with StoryWeaver by giving children access to books and storytelling in indigenous languages like Gondi, Kurukh, Sadri and many more. Says Dr. M. Sudhish, Samagra Shiksha Chhattisgarh: “On January 26, the Honorable Chief Minister of Chattisgarh announced the use of mother tongue languages while teaching in classrooms. When we heard about StoryWeaver’s IMLD initiative, we felt that this was a great opportunity to take the Chief Minister’s mandate forward and bring mother tongue storytelling into the classroom.”

Additionally, we're also thrilled to announce the launch of open digital libraries in 16 underserved languages, marking the culmination of our Freedom to Read 2020 campaign, which aimed to create digital books in languages that have limited or no children’s books. Through our campaign, over 500 storybooks have been translated into languages such as Amharic (Ethiopia), Basa Jawa (Indonesia), Bodo, Tangkhul (vulnerable languages from North-East India), Kolami (vulnerable indigenous language from Maharashtra), Kochila Tharu and Rana Tharu (spoken in Nepal), Sindhi, and bilingual books in English-Surjapuri, to name a few.

International Mother Language Day 2022 | Theme

"Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities" is the focus of the 2022 International Mother Language Day, which highlights the potential of technology to enhance multilingual education and encourage the development of high-quality teaching and learning for all.

Some of the biggest problems in education today may be solved by technology. If it is governed by the fundamental concepts of inclusion and equality, efforts to ensure fair and inclusive lifetime opportunities to learn for everyone can be expedited. A crucial part of inclusion in education is mother tongue-based multilingual education.

Many nations used technology-based solutions during the COVID-19 school shut down to ensure that learning continued. However, a lot of students lacked the tools, internet access, resources, content, and human support they would have needed to pursue remote learning. Furthermore, the diversity of languages is not always reflected in the tools, programmes, and content of distant learning and teaching.

International Mother Language Day At StoryWeaver

These libraries have been co-created in collaboration with our partner organisations:

• Aripana Foundation
• Azad India Foundation
• Karunodaya Foundation
• Pragyam Foundation
• Ras Abebe Aregay Library
• Nepal Rana Tharu Samaj 
• Institute for Multilingual Education (IMLi)

And our Language Champions:

• Amina Bouiali 
• Bharti Menghani 
• Dron Sahu
• Kaleab Getachew
• Marzieh Nezakat
• Minket Lepcha
• Nazanin Karimimakhsous
• Sanjib Chaudhary
• Themreichon Leisan
• Theresia Alit

A huge shout-out to our Freedom to Read partner organisations, Language Champions, and IMLD reading volunteers! Your efforts will go a long way in helping put a book in every child's hand. THANK YOU! 

Stay tuned for more stories from the IMLD reading sessions and our Freedom to Read partners!

In the meanwhile, here are some happy moments  from our ongoing International Mother Language Day celebrations:

From a reading session in English-Surjapuri conducted by Azad India Foundation in Kishanganj, Bihar

From a reading session in Arabic conducted at the Qatar National Library

From a reading session in Kolami, conducted at DIET Yavatmal to mark the launch of an open digital library of 100 Kolami storybooks, created by Institute for Multilingual Education (IMLi) and StoryWeaver

From a reading session in Maithili conducted by Aripana Foundation at Gyan Niketan Public School, Darbhanga, Bihar

From a reading session in Amharic, by Ras Abebe Aregay Library in Ethiopia

From a reading session in Karbi, conducted by Pragyam Foundation at Parijat Academy, Guwahati, Assam

From a reading session in Marwari conducted by SNS Foundation, Rajasthan

From a Nepali reading session conducted by Nepali Rana Tharu Samaj

From a reading session conducted in Mayurbhanj, Odisha

---

Do join the conversation by leaving your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also reach out to us through our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

comments (3)

---

Akoss Ofori-Mensah of Sub-Saharan Publishers is working with Neil Butcher & Associates (NBA) to research the impact of open licensing on publishing business models by sharing books in underserved local Ghanaian languages. The collaboration aims to understand how open licensing works and 'its benefits to children; especially allowing them to read stories in their own mother tongue.'

Sub-Saharan Publishers, founded by Akoss in 1992, is an indigenous Ghanaian publishing house now specializing in African children's books, African literature, literature on the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and scholarly books. The environment has always been an important theme to Sub-Saharan Publishers, as is gender. Akoss explains the reason for her emphasis on the environment.

"I love nature; I grew up in a rural community where life is dependent on nature; the forest, the rivers were protected by traditional rules. In my adult life I have seen these rules thrown to the dogs; the quest for quick riches has turned our rivers into muddy ponds and farmlands are being destroyed. The traditional environmental protection rules are no longer respected; and government is having a hard time getting its environmental laws enforced."

Sub-Saharan Publishers is trying to meet the needs of children and young people to have books that they can enjoy reading, and which represent African children and their interests.

Award-winning children’s books published by Sub-Saharan Publishers include: Kwajo and the Brassman’s Secret about Ashanti gold weights, which won the 1982 Noma Award for Publishing in Africa and the 2015 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature, which is given by the University of Oklahoma in the United States; Cat in Search of a Friend, which won the 1985 Austrian National Book Prize;  Sosu’s Call, which won several prizes; The Magic Goat, which won the 1999 Toyota Prize; Mimi Mystery, which was on the 2014 IBBY Honor List; and, most recently, Gizo Gizo, which won the Children’s Africana Best Book Award for 2017.

Until now, all books published by Sub-Saharan Publishers have been fully copyright protected. Now that Akoss has decided to experiment with open licensing, Sub-Saharan Publishers has digitized three stories based on tales from Northern Ghana—Fati and the Honey Tree, Fati and the Green Snake, and Fati and the Soup Pot.

"The FATI books were developed when Kathy Knowles, a Canadian librarian working in Ghana felt that there should be simplified stories for Ghanaian children who are just beginning to learn to read. However, she could not get a publisher in Ghana so when she came to me with the first manuscript I agreed to publish it. I found an illustrator for the book and it somehow became a success. The first book in the series was translated into French with support from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through La Joie par Les Livres, A French NGO.  They are now being shared with Francophone West Africa." shares Akoss.

The Fati books have been published on StoryWeaver and will also go on the African Storybook Platform soon. These three stories are available in English and three Northern Ghanaian languages, using a CC BY licence here. 

Open licensing allows Sub-Saharan Publishers to have these books translated into other local languages and shared electronically, so that children elsewhere in Ghana and in other African countries will be able to read more culturally relevant local stories in their mother tongue. Children learn to read more effectively if they learn in their mother tongue, but very few children in developing countries have access to enough materials to support local language literacy acquisition.

"The books have also been translated into northern Ghanaian languages, namely, Dagbani, Sisali and Dagaare, three major languages in northern Ghana and since the stories are set there. I hope children in that area would now enjoy stories in their mother tongue. Open license has made it possible for children in that area to read stories in their own languages." shared the publisher.

Read more about NBA’s work in early literacy and open licensing for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, please visit the Early Literacy Resource Network: http://www.earlyliteracynetwork.org/

 

Be the first to comment.

---

Are you celebrating Mother's Day today? Are you taking your ma out for brunch, have you sent her flowers and a thoughtful gift? Are you at the receiving end of a whole lot of love? Or, like some, do you think it's just another Hallmark Holiday? Well, however you're spending the day, we think you'll like our tribute to Pratham Books StoryWeaver mothers. We've shared the links to the books (and mothers) featured below.

Counting on Moru by Rukmini Banerji and Nina Sabnani 

In Moru's world, numbers danced, digits waved out and long division looked ike a graceful tail. But one day, this world came crumbling down in school. Moru then became the local bully. Then, someone helped him discover the joy of learning again. Read all about it in this heartwarming story.

चुन्नु-मुन्नु का नहाना by Rohini Nilekani, Sumit Sakhuja and Sonal Goyal

पानी, साबुन के बुलबुले और उछल-कूद। देखिए तो चुन्नू मुन्नू कैसे मज़े ले रहे हैं !

काकूचं बाळ by Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar awardee Madhuri Purandhare

अनू अगदी उत्साहानं काकूचं बाळ बघायला जाते. आई आणि काकू मात्र सारखं त्याचंच कौतुक करतात. अनूला ते मुळीच आवडत नाही.

मेरा दोस्त by Swati Priyanka, Rupesh Sudhanshu and Suvidha Mistry

 सोनू को मिला एक नया दोस्त। दोनों साथ में बहुत मज़े करते थे। क्या तुम्हे भी पसन्द है नए दोस्त बनाना ? आओ पढ़ते हैं एक अनोखी दोस्ती के बारे में।

ಸುಶೀಲಾಳ ಕೋಲಮ್‌ಗಳು originally by Sridala Swami and Priya Kurian, translated by Bhavya

ನೀವು ಕೋಲಮ್ ನ್ನು (ರಂಗೋಲಿಗಳನ್ನು) ಮನೆಯ, ಶಾಲೆಯ ಅಂಗಳಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿರಬಹುದು. ಆದರೆ ಎಂದಾದರೂ ಆಗಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೋಲಮ್ ನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದ್ದೀರಾ? ಪುಟ್ಟ ಸುಶೀಲಾಳ ಕೋಲಮ್ ಬಾನಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅರಳಿದ್ದು ಹೇಗೆ ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿಯಬೇಕೇ? ಓದಿ ನೋಡಿ!

(You can read 'Susheela's Kolams' in English)

'I Want That One!' by Mala Kumar and Soumya Menon

"Not that one," says Anil's mother when he asks for something. "Not that one!" say all the shopkeepers in the market too. That makes the little boy very angry indeed!

'The Birthday Party' by Megha Vishwanath and Team StoryWeaver.

After his birthday party, the boy in the story opens his gifts and is thrilled to find a camera. But as he's playing with his new gift, he notices his mother crying in the kitchen. Find out what he does next! This is a lovely wordless book created by the StoryWeaver team with Megha Vishwanath's #6FrameStoryChallenge entries)

மணிகண்டனுக்குப் போதும் originally by Anil Menon and Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, translated by S Krishnan

மணிகண்டனுடைய தாயத்து அவன் எப்போது சந்தோஷமாக இருக்கிறான்,எப்போது வருத்தமாக இருக்கிறான், உடல் நலத்தோட இருக்கிறானா இல்லையா என்பதையெல்லாம் சொல்லிவிடும். எப்போது சாப்பிடணும், எப்போது தூங்கணும் என்பதைச் சொல்வது, அவன் வீட்டுப்பாடத்தைச் செய்வதற்கு உதவி செய்வது, அவன் நலமாக இல்லை என்பதை அம்மாவிடம் தெரியப்படுத்துவது போன்ற பல வேலைகளைச் அது செய்யும். இது மாஜிக்கா இல்லை அறிவியலா? மணிகண்டனும் அவன் அம்மாவும் கிராமத்திலிருந்து ஒரு நவீன நகரத்துக்கு போகும்போது என்ன நடக்குதுன்னு பாருங்கள்.

(You can read 'Manikantan Has Enough' in English.)

గుడ్ నైట్ టింకూ! by Preethi Nambiar, Sonal Goyal and Sumit Sakhuja and translated by Janaki Rani Turaga 

మంగూ రైతు పొలంలో ఉండే చిన్న కుక్క పిల్ల టింకూకి అస్సలు నిద్ర రావడం లేదు. రాత్రి చీకట్లోకి వెళ్లి చూద్దామని బయలుదేరిన టింకూ, ఎన్నో ఆసక్తికరమైన జంతువులను కలుసుకున్నాడు. టింకూ రాత్రి షికారు గురించి మరింత చదవండి.​

(In English, as 'Goodnight Tinku')

Would you like to give an extra special gift for a mother you know? Head over to www.storyweaver.org.in and create a story just for them! You can tell us about the story by emailing us at storyweaver.org.in or sharing it with us on Facebook and Twitter. Don't forget to tag it #MothersDay!

Be the first to comment.

---