By Tina Tam

One of my first memories of a Worldreader project was when I assisted our Ghana Operations Manager Joseph in the iREAD classrooms two years ago.

Cheerful students lined up to show us their e-readers for an inventory check. I was impressed by not only the children’s proficiencies with their e-readers, but also how much pride and ownership they took.

Accompanying the smiley faces and adored e-readers were cases personalized with handwritten names and other favorite things. I admired the creative touches, and asked Joseph to pose with a case fully adorned with colorful stickers.

Kids love their cases and e-readers. Joseph Botwey, Worldreader’s operations manager in Ghana, shows off how one student made them her own.

Thanks to our partner M-Edge, the students and teachers in our program have protective e-reader cases and night reading lights. Without those accessories, the Kindles would have been exposed to the rough elements of dust, rain and slippery hands, and the students would have had fewer hours to share their e-books with their siblings. Besides, the decorated cases make reading fun, both in and out of school.

For example, we provide pocket-size training guides that fit in the teachers’ cases, and members from partner organizations have in the past included personalized note cards to the recipients of the e-readers, like the colorful ones in the photo. The note cards give warm greetings from afar and encourage the kids to read often.

Sometimes when kids open their e-reader cases, there’s a surprise waiting for them, like a personalized note encouraging them to read more.

To date, M-Edge’s donated e-reader accessories has helped empower the lives of 10,000 children and their families in sub-Saharan Africa, with many more to come. Big thanks to our generous partner for their ongoing support on behalf of Worldreader and the children and families in our programs.