For Day of the African Child, our amazing Global Activists came up with a great social media challenge and we would love for you to get involved! We want you to take a selfie or a video with or about your favorite children‘s book.
It could be one that you read as a child and greatly influenced you, it could be a book that you think that every 10-year-old should read — whatever it is, we want you to help spread the love of reading for an important cause. Were you a “Harry Potter” fan? Maybe you liked Roald Dahl’s books such as “Matilda?” Or the “Chronicles of Narnia” perhaps? Let us know by using the #ONEChildrensBook hashtag on Twitter and Instagram!
Here are some from our Global Activists:
Idris Mubarak, (ONE Champion)
@ONECampaign has asked me to think back to when I was 10 when I was beginning to read for pleasure and learn about different things. One of my favourite books was Chik and the River
What‘s yours? #ONEChildrensBook#LearningForAll
FundEducation👉🏾 https://t.co/dGGfvdoTT7 pic.twitter.com/8Y7uX9Pe1a
— Mubarak(XLR) (@mubricks) June 16, 2021
Brian Malika, Kenya (ONE Champion)
While growing up, reading the “Kiswahili Mufti” book gave me a lot of insights through storytelling on good morals while learning Swahili.
Carine Umutoniwase, Kenya (ONE Champion)
When growing up, I mostly loved comic books and comic strips like “The Phantom” that instilled the quest for justice in me, and “Gifted Hands”.
Wondwossen Misrak, Ethiopia (ONE Champion)
My favourite book growing up was “Zeruta and Mr. Ababa Belchaw’s Shoes”.
Esihle Makitshi, Belgium (Youth Ambassador)
I‘ve been trying to remember what I loved reading when I was 10 and I loved reading about other cultures, travel, and food. I‘ve attached a selfie with a “Bavarian Cookbook” by Lechner & Timme.
Jonas Nitschke, Belgium (Youth Ambassador)
Jonas, a @ONEinEU Youth Ambassador from 🇧🇪, chooses the book that meant the most to him growing up #ONEChildrensBook 📖 Let us know what yours is! #LearningForAll https://t.co/d41UXRT4nh pic.twitter.com/529Nq2T35j
— ONE (@ONECampaign) June 17, 2021
Why is the age of 10 so important?
Ten years old is a critical age when children should be shifting from learning to read to reading to learn. Before the pandemic, a shocking 90% of 10-year-olds in low-income countries couldn‘t read and understand something simple like a health leaflet or a school test. COVID-19 will make this number even worse and could push 20 million more girls out of school forever. We‘ve been tracking these numbers in our Lost Potential Tracker.
By taking a selfie or making a video about your favorite children‘s book, you can help spread awareness of our campaign to get governments to prioritize education so every child everywhere has access to all the tools they need to succeed.
