Influencing the publishing market in Ethiopia

• In Event: Think local. Act global: Challenges and successes in taking local language reading materials global

Abstract

Sustainability, in the pursuit of increasing the number of locally relevant and appropriate reading materials, is a challenge that has been experienced world over. The global push for publishing of reading materials in mother tongue languages is oftentimes met with resistance when it comes to professional publishing of the reading materials, due to the limited demand within smaller language groups. World Vision Ethiopia has sought to address this barrier in a way that not only increases the likelihood of true sustainability by ownership by the Ministry of Education and publishers, but also through capacity building and awareness raising with the end goal of encouraging the development of a reading culture. The need for an increased number of local language storybooks arose due to the implementation of a literacy project in Ethiopia. This prompted the development of a network of linkages between World Vision Ethiopia, the Ministry of Education, and academic institutions with publishing houses. A joint Review and Validation Committee was established, consisting of members from different language groups. This committee reviewed all of the existing storybooks and provided feedback to the publishers on the edits that would need to be incorporated in order for them to be considered appropriate for the target population. This presentation will focus on the processes undertaken, lessons to date, structures and capacity developed, as well as World Vision Ethiopia's contribution thus far to the general availability of quality reading materials.

Author

• Emily Wallace, World Vision International