by liana ruiz, director of social media

It’s no exaggeration to say this past year was full of challenges, for both The Literate Earth Project and our fellow non-profit organizations across the globe. In the spirit of celebrating our collective tenacity navigating the various hurdles associated with 2020, I’d like to acknowledge a few happy developments The Literate Earth Project is particularly grateful for.

1. During this year our team took time to adjust to COVID-19. None of the sixteen schools we partner with were able to open past 20% capacity to students. This meant our libraries were closed and will remain so until the resources are in place for them to operate as usual. However, we were able to get together a few students in mid-December from Mivule Primary. They came to help our Country Director check on the inventory of LEP books kept in a shipping container at their school, and they took the opportunity to dive into some new books whilst helping out. Fortunately, a number of recent announcements indicate schools will be opening soon. Ugandan officials hope to provide masks for teachers and students and implement ways to socially distance within the classroom in order to prevent transmission. We are very proud of our students for getting through this year despite not being able to go to class, especially since virtual learning is nearly impossible for students in rural areas who don’t have computers or internet access. We are following the developments closely and hoping that students are able to resume in-class learning as soon as possible.

2. We went global! The Literate Earth Project UK was launched as an official charity in late August of 2020 with Harry Bowden as its Development Director. Since then we have welcomed eight collegiate ambassadors from four colleges to the LEP team. Their hard work includes a Depop Fundraiser, a jewelry raffle, and the incredible 775 km for 775 Million. The charity fundraiser was a huge success thanks to the Trevelyan College Running Club at Durham University, which collectively ran 775k for the 775 million people illiterate globally. In the spirit of the collective exercise, LEP UK will be cycling 10,000 km, the approximate distance from the United Kingdom to Uganda. If you are interested in joining or supporting from across the pond, you can do so here.

3. LEP also welcomed its first global ambassador, Lukwesa Morin. Apart from being Miss Africa World 2018, Lukwesa has also earned a master’s from Johns Hopkins. Currently she speaks at many conferences about The Literate Earth Project and our partners, primarily Raspberry Pi. 

Recently she has represented LEP at the International Education Forum and the Africa Students & Youth Summit. If you would like to see Lukwesa’s panel, click here.

4. We were thrilled to announce our partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation in November. This incredible organization provides accessible technology at low cost. The actual device is a pocket-sized computer, on which students can access an offline version of Wikipedia; the device can also be used to help teach coding courses created by CoderDojo. Apart from being a fun new skill and potential hobby, coding also paves a way for students to succeed in a technology-focused world. According to WorldMeters.com, in 2020 the average age of Uganda was 16.7 years old. LEP believes that coding skills could increase students’ job prospects and security, especially in a country with such a young demographic. It is that same belief that led us to four new Raspberry Pi’s for our newest library. We are so excited to see their impact in 2021!!

5. Last, but definitely not least, we also held our first entirely virtual fundraiser. This event ran from December 16th-17th, 2020. With a goal of $2,658, we were somewhat wary, given the COVID situation, but hopeful. By the end of day two, we had raised over $3,300! We were thrilled to see the support and to show you what we have for 2021.

In other news, LEP is announcing that Chapman Ellsworth, our previous Chief Financial Officer,  has decided to take a step back from the organization. Fortunately Kyle Rose, a current member of the advisory board, will be taking his place as of 2021. With a master’s in Accounting from BYU, we cannot imagine a better person to lead us.

Founded by Jeff Fonda, our non-profit began in 2013 with one library in Ndejje, Uganda. With the opening of a new library in Ggangu, that brings us to 17! Our truly grateful team cannot thank you enough for supporting The Literate Earth Project.