By Elizabeth Hensick Wood I just returned from a whirlwind four day trip to Nairobi; my mission to partner with more Kenyan publishers and get more great local books for Worldreader students. On the relaxing Swiss Air flight out, in between sobbing over “The Descendants” and giggling over “Tower Heist”, I jotted down my goals … Continue Reading →
By Tina Tam and Joseph Botwey Meet Daniel Owusu, a 14-year-old junior high school student in Worldreader’s iREAD program. Daniel lives with his family on a farm in the tropical forest near the village, which makes for a long walk to school. He is the only one of the six children in his family to … Continue Reading →
Sometimes it’s important to step back and remember that Worldreader is about reading. We are not ‘the e-reader NGO’, nor ‘the Kindle guys’. We are simply ‘the folks who are transforming reading.’ Our core mission is to enable folks all over the developing world to read. We do that by using new technology to deliver … Continue Reading →
It’s another big week for Worldreader: We officially kicked off a new program in Uganda! We mentioned our Partner Program and expansion plans a while back, and soon we’ll have more news about what’s happening and where we’re going next. Exciting stuff in the pipeline! In the meantime, here are a few photos and a near … Continue Reading →
By Jennifer Baljko We started this series last spring to spotlight authors who believed in the same thing we do: Reading has the power to transform lives. Since then, we’ve been engaging with many authors and are happily surprised by their generosity and support. It’s great to see our author community expand, but often, too, … Continue Reading →
By Jennifer Baljko As a lean, nonprofit social enterprise, much of what we do is powered by the enthusiasm of our volunteers. Now and again, Worldreader shines a light on their initiative, shares their on-the-ground experience with our broader community, and gives them a big public hug. You may remember, Sara Rhyne, for instance. She … Continue Reading →
By Jennifer Baljko Worldreader recently spoke with Chika Unigwe, a Nigerian-born author now living in Belgium. We talked about the books she read as a child, writers who influenced her life, her early attempts at getting published, and the gift reading gives all of us. Here are excerpts of our Skype chat. WR: What book made … Continue Reading →
by David Risher All non-profit enterprises raise funds. It comes with the territory. After all, if an organization could pay all its bills by selling its services at a profit, it should probably do so and allow Adam’s Smith’s invisible hand to do the heavy lifting. People in our field sometimes complain about having to raise funds. … Continue Reading →
A year ago, Worldreader officially launched “Books for All” in Ghana. A few months later, we went to Kenya. Today, we’re adding another great “first” to the list. The Worldreader movement to transform reading in the developing world will be heading to Uganda! Right, Uganda! Can we get a shout-out?!? Why, you say? What’s the … Continue Reading →
We’re very excited to announce that our Executive Director and co-founder David Risher has been elected as a 2011 Microsoft Integral Fellow. This follows as intensive selection process led by the Microsoft Alumni Association and judged by a distinguished panel including Ashoka Founder Bill Drayton CNN’s medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, and eBay Founder and Chairman Pierre … Continue Reading →