BOOK DASH
Foord has long been a significant supporter of South African educational initiatives. CHRISTINA CASTLE introduces Book Dash, a relatively new association that aims to give every South African child 100 books to call their own. How they go about this challenge is creative, inspiring and the reason Foord just had to get involved.
Founded by a dynamic team of passionate young minds, Book Dash aims to flood South Africa with storybooks for very young children to address the nation’s critical literacy crisis. The innovative Book Dash creation model harnesses creative volunteers to make high-quality African storybooks over a 12-hour sprint.
And a book dash it literally is. Twice a year, 10 teams comprising writers, illustrators and graphic designers come together to create a collection of relevant stories for a particular age group in one day, following the innovative Book Dash process. The books are then translated, printed and distributed directly to children and parents across South Africa through partner organisations.
Since 2014, Book Dash has created 117 original, engaging African picture books and printed and distributed 430 000 copies to children across the country. Their immediate goal is to reach a million books distributed by the end of 2020.
For more information, to see the books or to get involved in this wonderful initiative, visit www.bookdash.org.