Our Book Dash model has re-imagined the publishing process, and the result is that our books are almost unimaginably affordable. We have a similar approach to our organisational management, with excellent systems underlying a pared-down approach to overheads. This is all in service of maximising impact and getting more books into the hands of children who need them.
Our funding partners, whether their funding is destined for operational expenses or to support key activities to create, translate or print books, comment with delight that they get more bang (or books) for their bucks because of our economical approach to the management of creating new books and printing at scale to reduce unit costs.
Our unique approaches mean that we produce excellent quality for very little money, punching far above our weight.
Our key activities centre around our Theory of Change (below). The logic being that research shows that children who own books before school have better lifelong foundations for learning. So, we work to create, translate, print and partner to get quality, relevant books into children’s hands and homes:
Book Dash plans to be around for many years to come, to keep working towards a world where every child owns a hundred books by the age of five. To this end, for all funding that Book Dash is awarded, we keep a percentage for organisational and sustainability costs. Everything else is allocated to the creation, translation or printing of more beautiful books for children.
Case Study: Book Dash and amaZizi Reads
Deep in the Northern Drakensberg mountains of KZN, the Khanyisela project focuses on education and on supporting literacy and communication from infancy to 9 years. Our amaZizi Reads intervention is one major part of this and is rooted in our belief that children‘s success in literacy is very important for their future development.
In underserved rural communities children have almost no books at home and yet one of our aims was to promote a culture of reading. This lack of resources was a major challenge until February 2019 when we were fortunate to partner with Book Dash. At the heart of the Book Dash vision is the idea that book ownership is a powerful intervention in itself, but initially we questioned giving books away. However an open mind, expert opinion and first-hand experience soon convinced us of the enormous value of giving books ‘for-keeps’. To date we have distributed more than 3000 books into our community through the pre-schools we support, our BabyBoost sessions, our community reading afternoons and by running competitions where participants send us pictures of “reading-in-action”.
What we have been delighted to witness is the immense joy of receiving the gift of a story. Children have taken these little books home and at times returned to community reading afternoons, ready to read along with the visiting teachers. Books are prized possessions. Valued and loved. Their very own.
So together with Book Dash we are helping grow language and literacy in this remote area and we are developing a love for stories. The benefits are enormous. Reading and sharing stories helps build strong bonds, which allows for open conversations. Reading together stimulates thinking and language and creates opportunities to discuss feelings and outcomes. Having a story at home, in these dark Covid times has been a safe escape for our little people.
The idea that each child should own 100 stories inspires us to maintain our momentum to ensure we continue to grow literacy and language – we hope that all the children in the amaZizi valley we impact will Learn2Read so that they can Read2Learn.
Case Study: Book Dash, Santa Shoebox and MySchool
In 2018, as part of their 21st birthday celebration, MySchool sponsored 21,000 Book Dash books to be added into Santa Shoeboxes going to children aged 7 and younger. The impact was so significant that MySchool decided to widen the scope of this collaboration in 2019 by sponsoring 50,000 Book Dash books for Santa Shoeboxes. It is an inspiring example of collaboration, where the contribution of each party enhances the others’ work, with the children ultimately benefiting most of all.
In November 2019 the Book Dash team visited a few ECD centres in Khayelitsha with Santa Shoebox and MySchool where boxes were handed out to the children. Their eyes sparkled as they opened their beautifully decorated Santa Shoeboxes, each one packed individually for a specific child.
For these children the idea of receiving a box full of goodies ‘just for you’ is a novel concept. The inclusion of a book in the Santa Shoeboxes adds a dimension that is crucially important in the lives of children who live in poverty. The books donated by MySchool are possibly the first books many of these children would own, hopefully helping to ignite a lifelong love of reading and learning.
The children loved the beautiful books in their boxes!
Case Study: Thanda ECD
Thanda is a community-based organisation in Mtwalume, KwaZulu-Natal. In October 2018 they received Book Dash books, sponsored by the Solon Foundation. This is their feedback:
“You have made it possible for children in our community to have something they never had before – books of their very own! Thanks to your generosity, all the children in our ECD Programme were able to take home two wordless story books, I can dress myself and Springloaded to read and enjoy in their own time.
“In October, our ECD Facilitators read both books with their classes and talked about the stories, giving every child an opportunity to give their interpretation of what happens in the stories.
“Before children took their books home, our ECD Facilitators held a meeting with guardians where they read both books together to encourage guardians to read them with their children, and to familiarize them with reading wordless books with children.”
Case Study: Bethesda Hospital
For young children to thrive, they need food, love, security, stimulation and learning. Books can be a crucial tool in this model of nurturing care.
In 2019 Book Dash donated 400 isiZulu books to the Bethesda Hospital in the Umkhanyakude District of northern KwaZulu-Natal. The hospital has many programmes that are baby-friendly, but not many resources to support these programmes. The Book Dash books were used by the Paediatrics Unit, the Dietetics Department and the Occupational Therapy Department.
The report-back from the hospital staff on using the donated books was very positive. Children who visited the hospital loved receiving their very own book, and practitioners saw increased parental engagement.
“Linking health to education resources is new for Bethesda but our OT team specially found amazing teaching opportunities with babies, toddlers and young children, both in the ward and during clinic visits. They used the books to teach and engage: body awareness, visual perceptual skills, language development. The books are ideal to link the hospital-based interventions to home learning and take-home tasks.”
“Chosi-Chosi Book Club is for grades 2 to 7, but children as young as ages 0 to 5 received the books, and this made them believe now they are eligible to attend the book club. A week later, I arrived to a full class of toddlers with their books in hand. It was such a beautiful and funny sight to see because they looked so determined to be part of the book club, ready to read and learn.
When you’re handing out the books you pray that they reach one or two kids and change their lives. But when it transforms the whole neighbourhood then your efforts are rewarded with children who stop you at every corner, asking for more books to share with their friends at school and the whole of Philippi.”
Sindeka Mandoyi,
Chosi-Chosi Book Club
“We’ve seen how families creatively integrate reading into their routines. In some homes, siblings take turns reading aloud to each other, while in others, children are excited to retell the stories they’ve read in playgroups or schools to their families, reinforcing their comprehension and storytelling skills. [Parents commonly report that] these books have made reading a more accessible and enjoyable activity at home.”
Astrid Gifford,
LETCEE (Little Elephant Training Centre for Early Education)
“Book Dash’s accomplishments in a mere 10 years are astounding. It seems impossible that such work has been executed by only five full-time people, the last person just recently added. When you consider their value-add to children across the world versus the overhead and staff, the ratio of benefit to donor dollar is unparalleled.”
Alisha Berger,
children’s book expert and publishing consultant for the World Bank Read@Home program
“Visits to partners who received the Book Dash books last year are showing real evidence of progress as they deepen their literacy work and, of course, youngsters’ ownership of books. In fact it’s the latter aspect which the partners express greatest delight about and they believe – as do we all – that this may be the real clincher in getting kids hooked on books early on… parents also report excitement at having books at home to read with their children.
“We had no idea of the impact this work would have when we started working together in 2015. I think it is some of the best work we have supported and we both feel hugely gratified and humbled at the way partners have taken this work into so many new educational channels and into so many young hearts.”
The Solon Foundation
“Crèche organisations are almost never in a position to buy reading materials for their children – and if they are, they would normally only buy one teacher copy which the children might not even touch. To be able to give out these books is such an essential part of the child’s educational development and we are so grateful to be involved.”
Alison Zikala,
Green Sparks Education
