Wilhelmina Iimene
Two children’s books illustrating the Namibian atlas as well as fun facts about the Namibian wildlife were made public recently. Launched by Development Workshop (DW) Namibia, the books ‘My Children’s Picture Atlas of Namibia’ and ‘My Namibian Wildlife’, serve to enhance children’s general knowledge about Namibia, as well as improving their comprehension.
The idea to develop and publish Namibian-specific children’s books was inspired by children in the informal or rural areas, and the author’s reflection of her early childhood experience.
Hilma Weber, the author, said, “children from less-privileged backgrounds can now travel Namibia and see the wildlife through pictures illustrated in the books.”
‘My Children’s Picture Atlas of Namibia’ illustrates Namibia’s regions and towns. It talks about its people, the occupations they hold and how diverse their languages are. It also covers the geology side of the country; deserts and mountains. In addition, it educates children about minerals found in Namibia and about the animals found in the ocean.
‘My Namibian Wildlife’ is written in such a way that the animals are personified to talk about themselves, among others their ways of surviving in the jungle. It features the Big 5 as well as other animals.
The two books are part of a series of five books; the others will be released in the near future. So far, there are 15 000 copies of ‘My Children’s Picture Atlas of Namibia’, and 2 000 copies of ‘My Namibian Wildlife’ printed with the support of the European Union, Unicef and mobile telecommunications provider, MTC. These will be distributed to different early childhood development (ECD) centres across the country for children’s access.
Speaking at the book launch, MTC executive Tim Ekandjo highlighted the importance and benefits of investing in the younger generations through ECD centres.
He said it is best to invest in children’s development, because it is the generation that can transform the country forever. “MTC is very proud and willing to invest in the development of this country from a sustainability point of view, not just because people expect us to do so, but it is because we want to make a real difference,” said Ekandjo.
MTC is not only involved in ECD centres but also play an educational role with the ‘MTC internship project’ flagship programme which accommodates 160 students.
DW chairperson, Chris Brown addressed the issue of lack of reading material at ECD centres, saying that books found in libraries had little material or information suitable for that age class, and that very few are Namibian-based and come from Namibia.
“We first developed cases with books for four ECD centres. Today, the Development Workshop supports 229 ECD centres across six towns in Namibia,” he said.
DW works in the field of sustainable and inclusive urban development.
Also speaking at the event, education ministry executive director Sanet Steenkamp said parents, teachers and/or guardians need to nurture and start fostering the culture of reading into children from a very young age.