DISTRICT 5300 RECOMMENDED LITERACY PROGRAMS
2011-12
History is a race between education and catastrophe….
…HG Wells
The old saying, You can give a man a fish and he will eat for a day;
teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime, fits perfectly with
issues relating to literacy, both at home and abroad. The two programs
recommended by the District 5300 Literacy Team for 2011-12 seek to make
a difference in the lives of children to help them have skills for a
lifetime.
The projects are:
Local Schools and/or Community Library Improvement
Pathways to Literacy in Developing Countries
I. Local Schools and/or Community Library Improvement
This first program, Local Schools and/or Community Library
Improvement, seeks to address the diminishing resources allocated to
local school and community libraries. Student literacy is critical in
each of our communities! District 5300 Literacy Team members are ready
to assist clubs in implementing this program. Suggested steps are as
follows:
Consult with your local school administration (public or
private) or public library and select one school/library to assist
in the purchase of books and library materials.
Identify the amount of funding your club will raise/budget to
support the purchase of books/materials for the school/community
library.
Schedule a meeting with the Principal/Assistant Principal of the
school or the Librarian at the public library to discuss needs and
available funding.
Assist school/library personnel in selecting library
books/materials equal to the amount of funding provided by your
club.
Purchase the books/materials and have them delivered to your
club. The Literacy Team provides the following information to assist
you:
The California Department of Education (CDE) publishes
resources which list appropriate literature for each grade level
grouping for school and public libraries. The lists are
available on the CDE website (
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/ll ) or may be purchased
through CDE Press at 1-800-995-4099. The order number for the
book of lists is #001694. Many school districts have copies of
the book. You may wish to ask the school or district before you
buy a club copy. I searched the Nevada CDE website, but could
not find a link to an approved literature list. Nevada clubs may
wish to check with schools directly for a list.
The Literacy Team, working with Amazon.com and using the CDE
literature list as a guide, has developed “wish lists” on
Amazon. Clubs can access the lists at
http://www.district5300.org/literacy and purchase books directly
through Amazon. Many clubs do not have credit cards, but books
can be purchased by check as well by signing up for with Amazon.
Information required includes: the checking account routing
number, account number, and the account must be ACH (automatic
clearing house) enabled.
Check the order for accuracy and insert Rotary donation stickers
in each book.
Schedule a time for Rotarians to formally present the books to
the school or district (School Board meeting, School
Assembly….whatever is most appropriate for your club and the school
district or library). Be sure to arrange for publicity for the event
(newspaper article with photo, local TV coverage, etc.)
If possible, develop a schedule (one day per month? quarterly?),
in conjunction with school/library officials, for Rotarian
volunteers to read to groups of students in the school library or in
classrooms. (Note: Current laws pertaining to student safety may
require that volunteers be fingerprinted in advance of working with
students.)
For additional information and/or support in implementing this
program, please contact:
Dr. Dottie Leveque, Ontario Rotary
909-981-0671 drdottie@aol.com
OR
Chuck Freitas, Claremont Sunrise Rotary
909-560-1994 chuckfreitas@ca.rr.com
II. Pathways to Literacy in Developing Countries
The second recommended program, Pathways to Literacy in Developing
Countries, addresses literacy needs in South Africa and Tanzania (with
growth to Kenya and Zimbabwe soon), but can be modified to address
literacy needs in other developing countries by your club members.
The Pathways to African Literacy program, (PAL), was developed in
2005 by Dottie Leveque, Ontario Rotary, to meet the challenges faced by
schools in South Africa and Tanzania. Most schools in Africa have few,
if any, textbooks for their students. The program began in Mto wa Mbu,
Tanzania with Mto wa Mbu Primary school where the ratio of textbooks to
students was 1 book for every 15 students! The school enrollment
exceeded 1400 students, grades 1-7. Today, the ratio of books to
students is 1 book for every 2 students, across all subject areas.
African countries have nationally approved curricula and textbooks….but
limited funds for the purchase of textbooks. Through PAL and Rotary
Matching Grants, 55 schools in South Africa have literacy programs and a
growing number of schools in Tanzania have textbooks for students.
How does PAL work?
Rotary clubs routinely offer a small gift to speakers thank the
speaker for giving their time and talents to speak at club meetings.
Most of us have more coffee cups, pens, or other types of kind
recognition gifts than we can use….PAL provides a different type of
recognition.
Participating clubs pay an annual fee to Pathways/Africa (P/A),
a 501.c.3 nonprofit organization located in Claremont, CA, in the
amount of $700 for 50 bookplates, which are subsequently completed
by speakers and placed in books in schools in Africa by
Pathways/Africa volunteers.
Each club speaker is provided an opportunity to complete a
Pathways/Africa bookplate (name, city, state, USA) upon the
completion of their talk. The bookplate is hand carried to the
school named on the bookplate and placed in a book for the school
which has been purchased, using the funds provided by the club (the
$700.) This memorializes the speaker in special way by having their
name in a book donated to a school in Africa in the name of the
speaker.
The PAL program is managed by Dottie Leveque of Pathways/Africa.
Dottie spends approximately 4-5 months in Africa each year. She
works with +/- 60 schools in South Africa and Tanzania and has
identified reputable book sellers in each country. The books are
specially selected to fit the local cultural, linguistic, and
curricular needs of the schools. Dottie hand carries your club’s
bookplates, inserts them into the books purchased, and presents them
to the schools.
PLEASE NOTE: All funds donated to the PAL program are used
EXCLUSIVELY for the purpose intended: the purchase of textbooks and/or
library books for the specific school indicated on the bookplates.
On her regular visits to PAL schools, Dottie takes photos/video
and can share same with participating clubs upon request.
Specific schools targeted for PAL funds for 2011-2012 are:
Isiphiwo Primary School, Khayelitsha Township, Cape Town,
South Africa (K-7)
Mto wa Mbu Primary School, Mto wa Mbu, Tanzania (1-7)
Lazeli Secondary Boarding School for Girls, Arusha, Tanzania
(8-12)
The PAL program currently serves schools on the African continent
only. Clubs are encouraged to replicate the program in order to serve
schools in other developing countries/continents. If assistance is
needed, contact Dottie Leveque, 909-981-0671 or
drdottie@aol.com
For assistance in implementing this program, please contact Dottie
Leveque or:
Chuck Freitas, Claremont Sunrise Rotary
909-5601994 chuckfreitas@ca.rr.com
OR
Briana Lane, Ontario Rotary
909-260-5769 briana4691@aol.com
“You can change the world with your own two hands…..” is a highly
inspirational song by young artist, Ben Harper, from Claremont. I
encourage you to check out his YouTube video of this song. It is worth a
few minutes of your time!
