tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26037878148963944572024-03-13T19:05:17.790-07:00The International School of Art, Business, and TechnologyThe International School of Art, Business, and Technology provides students and teachers, both African and Western, with training in art, education, business, and technology, which in turn will be used for the betterment of their community and ours.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-64283943150251270902017-10-28T12:38:00.003-07:002017-10-28T12:38:50.068-07:00VOICE: Empowered Learning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Friends, we are excited to announce that we have a new name!</div>
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VOICE: Empowered Learning</h3>
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Please visit us at our new site <a href="http://voiceempoweredlearning.org/">voiceempoweredlearning.org</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-1219372271610591902014-02-10T05:41:00.002-08:002014-02-22T06:19:57.389-08:00eBooks From Africa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://isabt.org/" target="_blank">ISABT</a> is excited to announce the publication of several new eBooks by Africa authors (in partnership with <a href="http://worldreader.org/" target="_blank">WorldReader</a>.) We have been supporting literacy efforts in Africa through our <a href="http://bookclubint.org/" target="_blank">Book Club International</a> Program where we encourage children to write creatively.<br />
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All files are available for free in our growing ePUB library.<br />
<a href="http://ebooksfromafrica.org/">eBooksFromAfrica.org</a><br />
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Please consider supporting the program by purchasing one of these amazing eBooks for your Kindle device today. 100% of any profit goes towards continuing this innovative program. (Our volunteers and board members do not get paid.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=international%20school%20worldreader" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/s/<wbr></wbr>ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-<wbr></wbr>alias%3Daps&field-keywords=<wbr></wbr>international%20school%<wbr></wbr>20worldreader</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookclubint.org/ebooks.html" target="_blank">Additional stories from Africa are available for free at our online libraries</a>. </div>
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Please come visit us today!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-27987670926250293162013-12-13T07:29:00.000-08:002013-12-13T07:29:00.157-08:00Supporting Old Ebu-Brebia <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://isabt.org/" target="_blank">ISABT</a> is thrilled to support the students of Old Ebu-Brebia with a donation of Pencils, Pens, Erasers, Sharpers and Work Books. Good luck with your studies and keep up the great work!!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Cape Coast, Ghana5.1050559999999994 -1.24723399999993495.041796 -1.3279149999999349 5.168315999999999 -1.1665529999999349tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-74975465083680450192013-12-08T14:50:00.003-08:002013-12-08T14:50:31.270-08:00Join our Facebook Community<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="userContent">Dear Friends,<br /> <br /> If you have not done so
already, please consider "liking" our FaceBbook page to keep up to date with
the African publishing, classroom donation, and volunteer programs
currently running in Africa. Your support is appreciated!<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/ISABT/103727739672607" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/pages/ISABT/103727739672607</a><br /> <br /> -Medasi</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-35716446381518182312013-12-04T16:05:00.000-08:002013-12-04T16:09:11.923-08:00Partner with ISABT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dear Friends,<br />
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We have just updated our Partner Page on the main site. <a href="http://isabt.org/partners.html">http://isabt.org/partners.html</a></div>
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ARE YOU INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?</div>
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We love collaboration and we are always looking to partner with good-hearted people who want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children.<br />
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There are many ways that you can join our team; volunteering at home or abroad, helping with fundraising, collecting and donating high quality reading books and materials, helping to market our message of "Education for All", editing stories from Africa, and helping to grow the educational programs world wide. <br />
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<a href="mailto:jonathanthurston@isabt.org" target="_blank">If you are interested in getting involved, please contact us today!</a></div>
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Thank you to all of our friends and supporters!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-52280934734183986922013-11-29T15:17:00.001-08:002013-11-29T15:17:14.592-08:00UPDATE: Pencils for Africa project<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1817002134"><br /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://isabt.org/">ISABT.ORG</a> is donating much needed classroom materials to schools in </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=35123363688&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ghana/35123363688?directed_target_id=0" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">Ghana</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px; text-align: center;">. This project is based on research conducted with Parents, Students, Schools, Faculty, and PTA groups in Africa. When asked what would be most beneficial for their students, the overwhelming response was to provide them with writing materials (above books, computers, and other resources). We are thankful to be of help to these hardworking students in Africa.</span><br />
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Some Thank You letters from the donor recipients:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px; text-align: center;">Many more Thank You Letters are posted here:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.983333587646484px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.683957464982962.1073741825.103727739672607&type=1&l=2cae023f80">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.683957464982962.1073741825.103727739672607&type=1&l=2cae023f80</a></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-3688853915249070052013-10-28T04:18:00.000-07:002013-10-28T06:51:33.148-07:00The Power of a Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Please enjoy this wonderful write-up by <span class="gD" name="Sue Ron Gonzalez"><a href="http://bookclubint.org/" target="_blank">Book Club International Program Director</a> Sue Ron-Gonzalez about the empowering programs run this summer in Ghana, West Africa.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DOyG7c6FGxhwtFRvEia2555wRWwRadYaOmcFPYaRHtyc9nLauTfalpkkEgSlnfDVLfA-aUSIhFzFHiPg_L_BfZ0IXg5d2WGypj_-awvYJCBIQ4EworoIUcrx2XiyzrJ8THfu1oPN2bo/s1600/ghana+2013+july+2+005.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DOyG7c6FGxhwtFRvEia2555wRWwRadYaOmcFPYaRHtyc9nLauTfalpkkEgSlnfDVLfA-aUSIhFzFHiPg_L_BfZ0IXg5d2WGypj_-awvYJCBIQ4EworoIUcrx2XiyzrJ8THfu1oPN2bo/s320/ghana+2013+july+2+005.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="gD" name="Sue Ron Gonzalez"> </span></div>
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"This summer I had an amazing opportunity, thanks to
AllPeopleBeHappy Foundation, Tomorrow’s Stars and <a href="http://isabt.org/" target="_blank">ISABT</a>, to launch the Adehye
Girls Club in Elmina, Ghana. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adehye means “royal” in Fante. The name was chosen because we
want the girls to take pride in their lives. For four weeks, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2603787814896394457" name="_GoBack"></a>50
girls, ages 10-16, learned about teenage pregnancy prevention, health-related
issues and many other valuable life skills.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsanl7SCET4pKKQij01oBI_4dqKxPKrEtzb_mq8lEXZEN4rZIzY4I9VhFgjY0k3EhPRVbFYh5DhglxfMfX0n4gpX6nLmsF-VpNRrurEjtnsWVQYz5zwcRosX5Jq_GIMi9b-Q9HdJ-xg_E/s1600/ghana+2013+july+12+040.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsanl7SCET4pKKQij01oBI_4dqKxPKrEtzb_mq8lEXZEN4rZIzY4I9VhFgjY0k3EhPRVbFYh5DhglxfMfX0n4gpX6nLmsF-VpNRrurEjtnsWVQYz5zwcRosX5Jq_GIMi9b-Q9HdJ-xg_E/s320/ghana+2013+july+12+040.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div>
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One of the highlights of the summer was the field trip to
Kakum Rainforest. The day started with each girl receiving their own Adehye
Girls Club shirt. They filled into the school library to change their clothes,
brush and decorate their hair with barrettes and spray themselves with perfume!
You could feel the excitement buzzing in the library! We rented a van and a
huge diesel truck to take the 1 hour trip to Kakum. To get into the truck you
had to climb a ladder and then grab a seat on a bench. As we bounced around in
this truck, the girls sang and danced for the full hour. It’s difficult to put
into words the positive energy I felt inside that truck. Being surrounded by
beautiful music and happy faces filled my own heart with joy. We began walking
through Kakum, listening to the guide speak about its history. When we reached
the canopy walks, 400 ft. high amidst the trees, the girl’s nerves began to
show in their faces and movements. We talked about the importance of overcoming
fears, bravery and pride in accomplishing challenges in life. I was so proud of
these girls as they made their way through seven canopy walkways! This trip
provided an important bonding experience for the group that will help to cement
their friendships and support for each other. On the bus ride home, the girls
giggled with bright smiling faces as they talked about how they overcame their
fear of walking the canopies. Within 15 minutes of the bus ride, most of them
fell asleep! It was truly an uplifting, fulfilling day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QZAl-2jXjaBq7_16dr4boqjBiALc66xkboCWP0UtU7DotDjbKUknx2-EOfdCDpJGPQqkuZ1ZAP4phSuD0SIRu1ZMMpskSjwrFEmfi6u8s-jyWC06gSxRX-cTsNrYWC9hg2Ox3oPylA0/s1600/ghana+2013+july+2+017.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QZAl-2jXjaBq7_16dr4boqjBiALc66xkboCWP0UtU7DotDjbKUknx2-EOfdCDpJGPQqkuZ1ZAP4phSuD0SIRu1ZMMpskSjwrFEmfi6u8s-jyWC06gSxRX-cTsNrYWC9hg2Ox3oPylA0/s320/ghana+2013+july+2+017.JPG" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kKhjf2rcpokjXwWogokVZc1aP6NZAIuzgXsAiu9dAC9sQjeh73YCOp6iGkQht6KRewl9gQvzTmXuv-vLdBlbYDnWPekdO_l7AK3F9xdZQh_NEqgXvUfIElatU6cSDuJMQOHWwrUPIAc/s1600/ghana+2013+july+13+054.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<br />
Although I have been writing stories with students in Ghana
for the past few years, this summer I came to understand just how valuable this
process is. Since most of the educational system in Ghana is rote learning and
call and response, the students feel a sense of autonomy and pride when they
are allowed to write creative stories. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, with class sizes often at 40 or more, students
do not often have the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings. When I
tried to discuss sensitive issues with the girls regarding how they felt about
challenges they face, they were often silent. They weren’t accustomed to
sharing their feelings in a classroom setting. But through their written
stories, I learned about their worries and fears of what may happen if they
became pregnant as a teen. Their stories often did not have a happy ending.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfEwJfKq27iPpUJPmyTCVAnUJPjnAuQPrlcSSm9zj60k8Hygy0OiRoKxQxcIggwq3XWIRCtd2A2dHwa3kmkpR0kcbQRtjpJonsvZWRlwryU-7Tjdg2uxI7srW95mbnjVCJEPxrb6RdTY/s1600/ghana+2013+july+2+007.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfEwJfKq27iPpUJPmyTCVAnUJPjnAuQPrlcSSm9zj60k8Hygy0OiRoKxQxcIggwq3XWIRCtd2A2dHwa3kmkpR0kcbQRtjpJonsvZWRlwryU-7Tjdg2uxI7srW95mbnjVCJEPxrb6RdTY/s200/ghana+2013+july+2+007.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OXRdxWo4tCDajBth1b1Bs12Jto8FGJf2EkPtELWPMgoYqt1gFnpvSCpsyErK8U20XP3jLONgvd5tuPwsSAKGtk4yPsbdWmb24Xw8cyiuvLJD3h8g9ZuvPoUqCADW8OB9xUHF_yDnNCM/s1600/ghana+2013+july+19+069.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OXRdxWo4tCDajBth1b1Bs12Jto8FGJf2EkPtELWPMgoYqt1gFnpvSCpsyErK8U20XP3jLONgvd5tuPwsSAKGtk4yPsbdWmb24Xw8cyiuvLJD3h8g9ZuvPoUqCADW8OB9xUHF_yDnNCM/s200/ghana+2013+july+19+069.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div>
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Portia is one of the students at Bantuma who has been
writing stories for me for the past few years. A year ago, she completed her
schooling at Bantuma but hadn’t been accepted to any high school. She told me
that she desperately wanted to go back to school, so I accompanied her to the
district office to see if she could get an application for high school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another young man who had also written
stories for me, Emmanuel, was also waiting to get an application. When we
finally got to meet the person in charge of the applications, he told both
students that they weren’t smart enough to attend high school because of their
low test scores and that they didn’t try hard enough to learn. Despite being
humiliated by this man, Portia and Emmanuel walked proudly out of the office. I
turned to Portia and asked her why she wanted to attend high school and
college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She looked intently at me
and said that she wanted to be a story writer, a journalist. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was at this moment that I understood
the power of a story. Portia may not have had the highest test scores or
grades, but she felt empowered enough to continue her education because of her
positive experiences writing stories for the international book club. Emmanuel
then went on to tell me how much he loves to go on bookclub.realelbrary.com <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to read the story he wrote two years
ago. He doesn’t have access to a computer so he uses his small cell phone to
read his story.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG3vcKEWQBXvrn8qfgs09u8Bc43a_b_6DEoBifWBr-AYqyfGdQ72xwsha6QABGYyuqHyOt7MN9KbAeuNy7wML6b3M2T2ZrpvgZYnGvmXiShrhb_OrPd3FaoOScaPE0zM9C_FF0FiviGI/s1600/ghana+2013+july+13+070.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG3vcKEWQBXvrn8qfgs09u8Bc43a_b_6DEoBifWBr-AYqyfGdQ72xwsha6QABGYyuqHyOt7MN9KbAeuNy7wML6b3M2T2ZrpvgZYnGvmXiShrhb_OrPd3FaoOScaPE0zM9C_FF0FiviGI/s200/ghana+2013+july+13+070.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6QHG3Y1JxRdB4wN2OgiyPdnwde2n7DZ2vpZySYeOpBL8xsWRXIFx5GpUgqjcjobXlHP04619uuQEM2Xb-_JIwtUutMfUV5xo1KRbuvoFDMuZ9vnBsxJWFPsv3jRjhZE0A8IN0OlR22E/s1600/ghana+2013+july+13+062.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6QHG3Y1JxRdB4wN2OgiyPdnwde2n7DZ2vpZySYeOpBL8xsWRXIFx5GpUgqjcjobXlHP04619uuQEM2Xb-_JIwtUutMfUV5xo1KRbuvoFDMuZ9vnBsxJWFPsv3jRjhZE0A8IN0OlR22E/s200/ghana+2013+july+13+062.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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For our end of the summer celebration, we had our
traditional feast of Eli’s meat pies with soda. Each girl was given a copy of
her story, and laminated stories were given to the Bantuma School library. The
students had the opportunity to read each other’s’ stories and share their
feelings about what it meant to be a member of the Adehye Girls Club. At first,
the girls were reluctant to speak. Cecilia was one of the first girls to speak
up. We told her that she was a warrior because it takes courage to stand up and
share a part of yourself with your peers and teachers. Slowly, other girls also
began to take pride in speaking up. The teachers reminded them of the
importance of finding your own voice in life and speaking up for what you
believe in.</div>
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Teaching these extraordinary girls in Ghana that their
stories are important and need to be told can have such a profound impact on
their education and life. Every year a girl stays in school, she delays
pregnancy and marriage. These girls may not have access to many educational
materials or opportunities, but they do have their own stories that they can
share as a way to create growth, learning and a sense of connection in their
lives. I recently read somewhere that a story is data with a soul. This summer,
I was overjoyed to get a glimpse into the beauty of these girls’ souls through
their stories."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kKhjf2rcpokjXwWogokVZc1aP6NZAIuzgXsAiu9dAC9sQjeh73YCOp6iGkQht6KRewl9gQvzTmXuv-vLdBlbYDnWPekdO_l7AK3F9xdZQh_NEqgXvUfIElatU6cSDuJMQOHWwrUPIAc/s1600/ghana+2013+july+13+054.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kKhjf2rcpokjXwWogokVZc1aP6NZAIuzgXsAiu9dAC9sQjeh73YCOp6iGkQht6KRewl9gQvzTmXuv-vLdBlbYDnWPekdO_l7AK3F9xdZQh_NEqgXvUfIElatU6cSDuJMQOHWwrUPIAc/s320/ghana+2013+july+13+054.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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-<span class="gD" name="Sue Ron Gonzalez">Sue Ron-Gonzalez</span> </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-42275685149591684602013-08-05T06:51:00.000-07:002013-08-05T06:51:21.999-07:00Power of Writing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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--></style> We have a lot to report from this summer's projects! While
the updates are being drafted on the donation to schools in Ho, our new Pencil drive, and the summer writing workshop I wanted to share a short story that highlights
the importance of programs like Book Club International to students in Africa.
The following message is from Sue Gonzalez our volunteer who ran programs in
Ghana this summer:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-f2AHx_XamsHcS02JXM0AbdZxKkIA7_eT4dWDKCuosqKN7SWkAZ13RA4b-8-2_CFDSD0roOg4ExOezI2yzH4djMvQwWG1ZjqXC8H8gHBxAIhmKLCMxYvjYEY80fm2KYe5vzbBSCu11-g/s1600/ghana+2013+july+2+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-f2AHx_XamsHcS02JXM0AbdZxKkIA7_eT4dWDKCuosqKN7SWkAZ13RA4b-8-2_CFDSD0roOg4ExOezI2yzH4djMvQwWG1ZjqXC8H8gHBxAIhmKLCMxYvjYEY80fm2KYe5vzbBSCu11-g/s320/ghana+2013+july+2+013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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“I am trying to sponsor a girl who was in the book club two
years ago and wrote the teen pregnancy story last year. We got to see the
director of education. He told Portia that she wasn't smart enough, determined
enough or had the scores to attend school. We both pleaded with him that her
headmaster never gave her an application! </div>
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I told the director how she was a wonderful writer and
participated in the book club for the past few years. He told her that it was
too late and the time has passed. Finally, another guy came and said that if I
paid 5 Cedes ($3) I could get an application. We got the application! As we
walked out, I asked Portia what she wanted to study in University. She told me
that she wanted to become a storywriter, a journalist. That's the power of the
book club project!!!”</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCwRL4h55_RBXOvVBgAT_gJTRVW8l461vn8Kc6TVlaDY1uODqKimLMqwFt5wf5rOaA_eauUoo7hUk3Q0zKvK3UZb_jmDxY7lDJprA29kYloxdN3NTg-AOF0oMP8h0R3ChvzGBoRqIVPE/s1600/ghana+2013+july+2+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCwRL4h55_RBXOvVBgAT_gJTRVW8l461vn8Kc6TVlaDY1uODqKimLMqwFt5wf5rOaA_eauUoo7hUk3Q0zKvK3UZb_jmDxY7lDJprA29kYloxdN3NTg-AOF0oMP8h0R3ChvzGBoRqIVPE/s320/ghana+2013+july+2+016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Imagine if you were told you were too stupid to attend high
school. Imagine if you were not allowed to go to school based on some old man’s
opinion. Our programs are geared to help just such students. We believe every
child has the right to an education, not just the privileged or high score
students. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-65786310214429662892013-07-29T12:28:00.001-07:002013-07-29T12:28:24.357-07:00Another successful summer project!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I.S.A.B.T. summer volunteer Sue is back and happy to report another successful summer project.!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WaBWlde6A2CRwXbNh3jAcp5sZgtzNLsTCE7qkKeoLPtuduvuIhMKgA9B9IbmAgFgVbiUxHbUsUxGRWmlogIl4qvKvdQqouktsoc-lWX11eHjIhR0uuYzRRcXDS8QU96gxZCfjKLqESk/s1600/ghana+2013+july+13+061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WaBWlde6A2CRwXbNh3jAcp5sZgtzNLsTCE7qkKeoLPtuduvuIhMKgA9B9IbmAgFgVbiUxHbUsUxGRWmlogIl4qvKvdQqouktsoc-lWX11eHjIhR0uuYzRRcXDS8QU96gxZCfjKLqESk/s320/ghana+2013+july+13+061.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A full report will be coming shortly, but in the meantime please enjoy this picture of some of the happy recipients of our new <i>Pencils for Africa</i> project.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-58783403258875119762013-06-09T09:00:00.001-07:002013-06-09T09:05:48.255-07:00PENCILS for AFRICA!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://isabt.org/">I.S.A.B.T.</a> is happy to announce our latest program: PENCILS for AFRICA!</div>
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Research conducted with students, teachers, and Headmasters in Africa has clearly indicated the value of pencils and pens in the classroom. In fact, it was often stated that if one item could be brought into the classroom, the simple pencil would provide the maximum impact. Unfortunately, financial situations in Africa dictates that many students are left without the means to write and take notes in the classroom effectively. This can impact their education dramatically.</div>
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We have begun working with<a href="http://www.lanternprojects.org/"> Lantern Projects</a> and a 4th grade class in California to provide students in Africa with Pens and Pencils. So far we have raised significant donations, enough to purchase well over 6,000 pencils! </div>
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<img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfO2oJ2ngmjVffDswrv05X1FqHLdrqQnzPXHxfwHLHcA2U72CZuVI3uhmy55rE1t27rqAMSwg2oKkhnsPko76TrsvfhCSHsbOyROZGRkHPQCIwE_enwPg7z7lGfQ2pyB57ZIkmlO3uhI/s200/pencil-1.jpg" width="200" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5-tsdwvlVjMqu3-9y3UONoLFDU5VMYvMa9crWs4DeQ8YcB8iqfsLISBFutEl14MNGCHsb5ugZUaBohIlWc2wcRoFpVOrJTg9Gwa4M30GV6Qv2SiqjzdwtJYYVAc030jbMwH3FeJbnMI/s1600/pencil-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5-tsdwvlVjMqu3-9y3UONoLFDU5VMYvMa9crWs4DeQ8YcB8iqfsLISBFutEl14MNGCHsb5ugZUaBohIlWc2wcRoFpVOrJTg9Gwa4M30GV6Qv2SiqjzdwtJYYVAc030jbMwH3FeJbnMI/s200/pencil-3.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtekY1XWZJiIhUHJzDyiRlh6JOZBIRLXIRTwwVe_RpBndrDs8En4uNnp6jxqu_6PHF4boNtRIJIHQadqCNUsMCFImWXws35z6axj0pao9wVkOZrYWEyHX1-LHfQSp6LMwgG9wl5ty5ng/s1600/pencil-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtekY1XWZJiIhUHJzDyiRlh6JOZBIRLXIRTwwVe_RpBndrDs8En4uNnp6jxqu_6PHF4boNtRIJIHQadqCNUsMCFImWXws35z6axj0pao9wVkOZrYWEyHX1-LHfQSp6LMwgG9wl5ty5ng/s200/pencil-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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We are organizing the distribution of this donation to six schools in Ghana, West Africa during the summer. Please consider joining this important project and stay tuned for more news as this program grows.<br />
<br />
If you would like more information please <a href="mailto:jonathanthurston@isabt.org">contact us</a> and consider making a donation <a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=BKZVSWHRdGoCXeTtjhktJO9vX2ar-4a31YNv7DCr6OSJuFzSNAXYXuLF110&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d4e181b3aff599f99e8c17bd6c7fe2f56">here</a>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-80553209507031523202013-06-02T08:25:00.002-07:002013-06-02T08:31:06.118-07:00Ghana Shipment has Arrived! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I.S.A.B.T. is happy to announce that our latest shipment of 140 boxes of prime teaching materials has arrived in Ghana and cleared customs! </div>
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We have just received pictures from the delivery to one of the three schools that we are working with; the Bishop Forson School in the Volta region. <a href="http://www.pagusafrica.org/sponsor/bfsc" target="_blank">The Bishop Forson School Complex opened in 2003 with six teachers and eight pupils. It was founded by Rev. Forson Glover who grew up in rural Ghana and faced many challenges in his own quest for an education. </a></div>
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BFSC is located in the Kpando District along the Volta Lake. Currently there are approximately 21 teachers and 9 non-teaching staff members working at the school where 250 children attend. </div>
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<img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5y3B-uYPvL4eu_S2QRu_wUKScLp7UB7SfDK53p62_eydCFPqjFOv4hPSJuBxPuUe3YO9Goj7VLEwEPlGF61Y57o5FUlC6Ve9RulZGvohGJR8CJZHQxEdRKyUb6aophDbmXaFsdmv9jwo/s200/Pagus-1.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3xPX0b623Kjf0qXWK3zsKI7lddvJRF_ZwapfqyPg3_3gsq4PyMRMZ-_v-CehX1thz4qVKVXzxckFadA_MJqd2QWljDTOzuonKt-EehCBSp0yGTl0E0AVBIUBQeI5awjcI1s8wEBwp1Q/s1600/Pagus-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3xPX0b623Kjf0qXWK3zsKI7lddvJRF_ZwapfqyPg3_3gsq4PyMRMZ-_v-CehX1thz4qVKVXzxckFadA_MJqd2QWljDTOzuonKt-EehCBSp0yGTl0E0AVBIUBQeI5awjcI1s8wEBwp1Q/s200/Pagus-2.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UIyiIud1A5sZyByglrmeFXbKjqr3VLDHIffk3R1XuZrSvTW_m-A5bMXcdfJkPtdaa9GQjte7qllg6SUNrEDsvOpHnI3RwcLDw8e_9ZllaCyoyeXEC83KPRQxBFAR3RmuPKtANf-Nd3A/s1600/Pagus-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UIyiIud1A5sZyByglrmeFXbKjqr3VLDHIffk3R1XuZrSvTW_m-A5bMXcdfJkPtdaa9GQjte7qllg6SUNrEDsvOpHnI3RwcLDw8e_9ZllaCyoyeXEC83KPRQxBFAR3RmuPKtANf-Nd3A/s200/Pagus-3.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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In advance of the shipment, we worked closely with <a href="http://www.pagusafrica.org/" target="_blank">Pagus:Africa</a> to ensure the materials were matched with the correct schools and programs to maximize impact. Volunteers are working with the school teachers and administration to ensure proper training is conducted.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgII-42ylCTsjXjYwg5qmnA_oo1vaxdCMAMFzlct5P3g0Gi9jDZeqTYiqL2Yogix9OHUCUscJYdoqk1cGuQvQqTfGzPgveq_mbKtDDCO_uUGRr80MKW8uKDroi9o8APAjKHxc5UMdgMuDw/s1600/Pagus-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgII-42ylCTsjXjYwg5qmnA_oo1vaxdCMAMFzlct5P3g0Gi9jDZeqTYiqL2Yogix9OHUCUscJYdoqk1cGuQvQqTfGzPgveq_mbKtDDCO_uUGRr80MKW8uKDroi9o8APAjKHxc5UMdgMuDw/s200/Pagus-5.jpg" width="161" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xXVFxOMHP4Q0S9zM0KUThK6xxcV03b6GJYGvFvyU85-_e_TbMJ-R8EtJS04CN7v0FmA6m-kL9Ft8OH8hDA1Vg2Ki-KV_P5rvrujfgpJF1uJZJwLxPbvQ3AIMQ3mACBUzFkA_C0ZS874/s1600/Pagus2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xXVFxOMHP4Q0S9zM0KUThK6xxcV03b6GJYGvFvyU85-_e_TbMJ-R8EtJS04CN7v0FmA6m-kL9Ft8OH8hDA1Vg2Ki-KV_P5rvrujfgpJF1uJZJwLxPbvQ3AIMQ3mACBUzFkA_C0ZS874/s200/Pagus2-1.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Vsfo5PhG0LkSVROiCoOH7VbEdxvuE27IoQol48YcImP95iugWLmn3YKH-O7weQAc0ywl3nC1yqZZ6VS5YumJcVMs94uQaZQCoLffO0bsMxVxIGEzWmFKQfR8mAEOiwjPVVC_LjQ4N8Q/s1600/Pagus-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Vsfo5PhG0LkSVROiCoOH7VbEdxvuE27IoQol48YcImP95iugWLmn3YKH-O7weQAc0ywl3nC1yqZZ6VS5YumJcVMs94uQaZQCoLffO0bsMxVxIGEzWmFKQfR8mAEOiwjPVVC_LjQ4N8Q/s200/Pagus-7.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73Yg7DiVhNIhFIBFxH1vnusKTyqaU3C813YnWu7z2aWvNx0T0cP1JaTQxayH_E7EILWrDfEvpbHNFkVGVRbO08y-D3Rk7FOK-Q4xgbxV6q13praSK7pPiPQYIsv7KuJabg_0a2Np0Z40/s1600/Pagus-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73Yg7DiVhNIhFIBFxH1vnusKTyqaU3C813YnWu7z2aWvNx0T0cP1JaTQxayH_E7EILWrDfEvpbHNFkVGVRbO08y-D3Rk7FOK-Q4xgbxV6q13praSK7pPiPQYIsv7KuJabg_0a2Np0Z40/s200/Pagus-6.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Materials have already been delivered to the three schools. Please stay tuned for more updates on this exciting project.</div>
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If you would like to learn more about <a href="http://www.pagusafrica.org/" target="_blank">Pagus:Africa</a>'s work please visit their website and consider making a donation <a href="https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2=%20232965192&vlrStratCode=chqXAP8ejRjPAA766ICPjtT5Kp4AFvmideWgMr8BOM5USn1ojpDHkBA2mpbwIBvS" target="_blank"><span id="goog_312826118">here.</span><span id="goog_312826119"></span></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-24630634627437128732013-05-06T16:52:00.000-07:002013-05-06T18:27:23.197-07:00Worldreader in East Africa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dear Friends,</div>
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I hope you enjoy this picture that we received from today from <a href="http://worldreader.org/">Worldreader.org</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-oah8RJPZo-4i0Pm3luKqCA2aArYvmZfGZVGZtAScommbrpASA8K2QiHph8KYP7No6m8joyuaG9PJ87i5QOJaJuZAxLifa1w6Nw0RMvmCLJVn3mFKCWj7HmxLpwIDxouBtQSgd00yPk/s1600/David+Risher+.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-oah8RJPZo-4i0Pm3luKqCA2aArYvmZfGZVGZtAScommbrpASA8K2QiHph8KYP7No6m8joyuaG9PJ87i5QOJaJuZAxLifa1w6Nw0RMvmCLJVn3mFKCWj7HmxLpwIDxouBtQSgd00yPk/s400/David+Risher+.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is David Risher (CEO and Co-Founder of Worldreader) holding up a Kindle displaying one of our author's stories from the<a href="http://bookclubint.org/ebooks.html"> Book Club International </a> program. We are so happy to be partnering with such a meaningful organization; they are making a true difference in the world.</div>
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For more on David and his wonderful work with World Reader, please visit <a href="http://www.worldreader.org/about-us/history/">http://www.worldreader.org/about-us/history/</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-36889987083559734792013-05-04T06:09:00.001-07:002013-05-04T06:35:11.998-07:00I.S.A.B.T. Partners with World Reader!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_cJAqlnixKAgPwJ0l-111oHR3Qx3hphmkyH5Pe6Y2qeQQhCdYGiIaaInepUmxgJDl-HZyaZyBktv-VO1j1swvRtfTNgUduqqvMn1lt84qj1eNVm89yglxj8QNzbA95G-M86Dix0dXhk/s1600/wr+isabt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_cJAqlnixKAgPwJ0l-111oHR3Qx3hphmkyH5Pe6Y2qeQQhCdYGiIaaInepUmxgJDl-HZyaZyBktv-VO1j1swvRtfTNgUduqqvMn1lt84qj1eNVm89yglxj8QNzbA95G-M86Dix0dXhk/s400/wr+isabt.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">NEWS: I.S.A.B.T. is now partnering with World Reader!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dear Friends, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I.S.A.B.T. is excited to announce a new partnership with the brilliant organization Worldreader!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.worldreader.org/about-us/our-mission/">Worldreader</a> works with schools, teachers, and students in Africa to provide them with access to vast libraries of educational e-books through their <a href="http://www.worldreader.org/what-we-do/our-projects/">kindle</a> and <a href="http://www.worldreader.org/what-we-do/worldreader-mobile/">app for mobile</a> phones program.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I.S.A.B.T. is now providing e-books and stories, written by African children from our <a href="http://bookclubint.org/">Book Club International</a> programs, to add to the Worldreader library. Ultimately, this means that the <a href="http://isabt.org/">I.S.A.B.T.</a> library of stories authored by our students in Africa will now be available to participants of the Worldreader Kindle programs globally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">As of February 2013; Worldreader has distributed over <a href="http://www.worldreader.org/what-we-do/our-projects/">441,000 digital books</a> to children and teachers across </span>ten e-reader projects in five African countries<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">. </span>Many of the <a href="http://www.worldreader.org/our-books/">books in the world reader program</a> come from Africa Publishers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please stay tuned for updates on this new project!</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-1186298751657372742013-04-28T05:55:00.000-07:002013-04-28T06:10:42.329-07:00New Shipment On The Way To Schools In Ghana!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
An anonymous donor has contributed 140 boxes of prime teaching materials to schools that I.S.A.B.T. works with in Ghana!<br />
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Materials include History, Math, and Science books, dictionaries, hundreds of leveled reading books, teaching aids, reference books, math and science tools, microscopes, scissors, pencils... the list goes on. For a full inventory of materials please <a href="http://isabt.org/BoxandbookInventory2013.xls">click here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkJvXgrBBsHTzs_XPpsFxiLdcJVXVPyLQ7rLx7_l6lyv2kC_49HM333WEi16f-uGjmMX-LjNjKSDdmS7M34BoOef7_CwSBqDngA6vlwFWSFR_T7fb3zqZyvGae2N4i7nKY5jPFPheFqE/s1600/SAX_MATH_1_COMPLETE_SET_WITH_TUB_KIT_100.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkJvXgrBBsHTzs_XPpsFxiLdcJVXVPyLQ7rLx7_l6lyv2kC_49HM333WEi16f-uGjmMX-LjNjKSDdmS7M34BoOef7_CwSBqDngA6vlwFWSFR_T7fb3zqZyvGae2N4i7nKY5jPFPheFqE/s1600/SAX_MATH_1_COMPLETE_SET_WITH_TUB_KIT_100.gif" /></a></div>
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We have worked closely with the donor school teachers and volunteers to sort and divide these valuable materials for maximum impact. The shipment has been timed to arrive and coincide with the deployment of <a href="http://www.pagusafrica.org/">Pagus Africa</a> volunteers working with the schools in Ghana this summer.<br />
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Special thanks to the I.S.A.B.T. donors as well as to Ellen Berenholz and <a href="http://www.pagusafrica.org/">Pagus Africa </a> for their help with coordinating this project. Stay tuned for more on this story...</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-69041487738631069422013-04-28T04:52:00.000-07:002013-04-28T04:52:51.753-07:00I.S.A.B.T. Welcomes New Member To The Board<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I.S.A.B.T. is happy to welcome Michael Boampong to the Board of Directors!<br />
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Michael is the Founder of the Ghanaian-based NGO Young People We Care (YPWC) where he currently serves as Board Member and Advisor. He is an ardent believer in youth empowerment and believes that if the youth are not empowered now, the world will not realize any meaningful development.<br />
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He is passionate about social entrepreneurship, social networks for development, youth development, migration and development, imagination, and making a difference. Michael has work experience with international organizations such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UNICEF Rural Voices of Youth and currently works for the United Nations in New York City. To learn more about Michael, visit: <a href="http://www.michaelboampong.com/">www.michaelboampong.com</a><br />
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Michael's experience, passion, and dedication to excellence will be a huge help to our organization as we plan for the future. Akwaaba Michael!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-84711166009186192932013-01-20T07:17:00.005-08:002013-01-20T07:27:56.048-08:005 New Books in from Jukwa, Ghana<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Five new stories from "<i><b><a href="http://bookclub.realelibrary.com/index.php/RealeBooks/latest/">The Best Part of My Life</a></b></i>" series have come in from the summer project <a href="http://bookclubint.org/">Book Club</a> volunteer Sue Gonzalez ran in Jukwa, Ghana. They are poignant and insightful. Here is a quote from Hagar Nyarkoh's story;</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"The best part of my family is my mother who is called Sister Naana. My mother is dark in complexion and has long, black hair on her head. We always call her Dark Mama. My mother is short and she sells frying fish in the market every night.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />The reason why I like my mum is that she takes care of me and provides my needs when my father refused to do so. She tells me Ananse stories and everytime she advises me, she always says, "A word to the wise is enough!" I like my mum because she helps me to do my house work, homework and prepare my meals.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />The food my mother likes best is FuFu and Groundnut soup. My mother is very smart and very kind to everyone. That is why my mother is the best part of my family!"</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://bookclub.realelibrary.com/index.php/embed/side/180/316/embedded" style="background-color: #f8f8f8; border: 1px solid #808080; height: 182px; margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px; padding: 4px 4px 4px 4px; width: 394px;"></iframe></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can read the stories from Jukwa here;</span></div>
<a href="http://bookclub.realelibrary.com/index.php/RealeBooks/latest/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://bookclub.realelibrary.com/index.php/RealeBooks/latest/</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and read more about "The Best Part of My Life" project here;</span><br />
<a href="http://www.omprakash.org/volunteerstories/Story/A-Week-of-Teenage-Pregnancy-Education-and-Photography-Classes"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.omprakash.org/volunteerstories/Story/A-Week-of-Teenage-Pregnancy-Education-and-Photography-Classes</span></a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-28851416429533145642012-12-30T14:32:00.002-08:002012-12-30T14:32:40.329-08:00Thank you from I.S.A.B.T. for another great year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Dear Friends and Valued Supporters, thank you for another great year!<br /><br />We are happy to report the completion of several successful projects in line with our educational mission. I.S.A.B.T. made a significant donation to a new library beingbuilt in the capitol of Accra, in Ghana. A wide range of quality reading books was selected to support the new Book Clubs they are founding at the library.<br /><br />The amazing Sue Ron-Gonzalez made another trip to Ghana this summer and ran a wonderful Book Club International program in the town of Jukwa. You can read an article written about the program by Lillie Marshall from TeachingTraveling.com at<a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fteachingtraveling.com%2F&h=7AQF1v8_U&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://teachingtraveling.com/</a> and read many of the new stories from Jukwa posted in the online library at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbookclub.realelibrary.com%2F&h=FAQFiElIy&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://bookclub.realelibrary.<wbr></wbr>com/</a>.<br /><br />We are also excited to report the success of our scholarship student; Joseph Adams in Cape Coast, Ghana. Joseph is an orphan adopted by a family in the area who was struggling to pay his school fees. I.S.A.B.T. was able to provide for his full school tuition, testing and transportation fees, as well as a large bag of rice to help feed his adopted family. His academic success is a testament to how hard work really does pay off, even when the odds are against you. Please find more information about Joseph and read the I.S.A.B.T. highlights from this past year in the latest edition of the I.S.A.B.T. Coconut.<br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuP_SzpQukBiBft_69Q8x6AiqFoQi-T3N6r_1IdyNeRfWYMEx8__DEIrlNjnwNJMFw1AOsge8rs3ZwJZ4WhDle1O4OCtSuvJwasKwkaj1HUyoa52hETxoZY_qU-y3V8hC4Wbj5EUY_lNI/s1600/thumb12Dec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuP_SzpQukBiBft_69Q8x6AiqFoQi-T3N6r_1IdyNeRfWYMEx8__DEIrlNjnwNJMFw1AOsge8rs3ZwJZ4WhDle1O4OCtSuvJwasKwkaj1HUyoa52hETxoZY_qU-y3V8hC4Wbj5EUY_lNI/s200/thumb12Dec.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://isabt.org/coconut.html" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://isabt.org/coconut.html</a></div>
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We have many projects in the works for next year; including shipping more educational materials to African Schools, forging new partnerships with educational organizations and schools, and continuing to expand the International Book Club program. Thank you again for your support!<br /><br />Sincerely,<div>
I.S.A.B.T.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-32066735760189319732012-08-27T08:02:00.000-07:002012-09-17T08:23:09.553-07:00Stories from the summer project are starting to come in!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
They look wonderful, thank you Sue Ron Gonzalez for your big heart and hard work!<br />
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One of the first stories, The Best Parts of My Life by Kwesi Forson,
gives thoughtful insight into the world of a young boy growing up in
Africa.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://bookclub.realelibrary.com/index.php/embed/side/180/303/embedded" style="background-color: #f8f8f8; border: 1px solid #808080; height: 182px; margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px; padding: 4px 4px 4px 4px; width: 394px;"></iframe>
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<a href="http://bookclub.realelibrary.com/index.php/read/298" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://bookclub.realelibrary.com/index.php/read/298</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-80611591596048906842012-08-06T12:10:00.003-07:002012-08-07T11:58:29.499-07:00Sue: Summer Ghana Volunteer Travel Through Teacher Grants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/attachment/005/" rel="attachment wp-att-1215" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sue with her students during amazing summer Ghana volunteer travel." class=" wp-image-1215 " height="240" src="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/005.jpg" title="Sue with her students during amazing summer Ghana volunteer travel." width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="month">Great write-up from our summer volunteer Sue </span></span>Ron-Gonzalez, appearing in <a href="http://teachingtraveling.com/">teachingtraveling.com</a>.<br />
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The following is a short excerpt from article, re-posted from: <a href="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/">http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/last-day-at-bantuma-004/" rel="attachment wp-att-1216"><img alt="Sue with a Ghanaian student on her last day at Bantuma." class="size-full wp-image-1216" height="240" src="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/last-day-at-bantuma-004.jpg" title="Sue with a Ghanaian student on her last day at Bantuma." width="320" /></a><br />
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Sue with a Ghanaian student on her last day at Bantuma.</div>
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<i><b>TT: How did you start traveling?</b></i><br />
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<b>S:</b> Two years ago I started researching volunteer opportunities in Africa and found an amazing non-profit, <a href="http://www.tstars.org/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Tomorrow’s Stars</a>.
Their focus is on breaking down educational barriers in Elmina, Ghana. I
decided to volunteer with this organization at the Bantuma School in
Elmina, Ghana. For two weeks, I stayed at volunteer lodging at the beach
and read with kids at the school’s library. I had an amazing time, but
two weeks just wasn’t enough time for me. I knew that I had to get back
to Ghana somehow.<br />
The following summer I went back to Ghana for three weeks to
implement an international book club project. Working alongside an
wonderful Ghanaian librarian, the students at Bantuma School authored
books to share with each other and on the website <a href="http://bookclub.realelibrary.com/" target="_blank">bookclub.realelibrary.com</a>. This website was started by Jonathan Thurston, from the <a href="http://isabt.org/" target="_blank">International School of Art, Business and Technology in Ghana</a>. He is dedicated to providing a platform for kids around the world to share stories.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/attachment/050/" rel="attachment wp-att-1217"><img alt="Sue volunteer teaching in Ghana, students listening attentively." class=" wp-image-1217 " height="240" src="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/050.jpg" title="Sue volunteer teaching in Ghana, students listening attentively." width="320" /></a><br />
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Sue volunteer teaching in Ghana, students listening attentively.</div>
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<i><b>TT: Thanks for these excellent resources. Now, t</b><b>ell us one moment from your travel that was particularly powerful.</b></i><br />
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<b>S: </b>One of my favorite moments of the reading club
was the day I brought out the art supplies for the students to
illustrate their stories. Usually, these students had been so serious
in class. The moment they saw the assortment of colorful markers and
crayons, the students were beaming with excitement. One by one, each
student came up to the desk to take one marker. I told them that they
could take as many as they wanted. It was touching to watch these
students try to hold on to twenty markers at a time with one hand while
trying to illustrate their book with the other hand. These kids had the
biggest smiles on their faces! They all wanted me to take a photo of
them with their brightly illustrated picture. For the first time since I
began the reading club, each child came up to me after class and shook
my hand. I couldn’t believe that something that we take for granted in
our schools in the US could be such a joyful event for the Ghanaian
students.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/052-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-1218"><img alt="Lovely photo of one of Sue's cheerful students in Ghana." class="size-full wp-image-1218" height="205" src="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/052.jpg" title="Lovely photo of one of Sue's cheerful students in Ghana." width="320" /></a><br />
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Lovely photo of one of Sue’s cheerful students in Ghana.</div>
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<i><b>TT: Beautiful! How have your travels impacted you as a teacher?</b></i><br />
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<i><b></b></i><b>S: </b>My travels to Ghana
have allowed me to create meaningful, authentic experiences for my
special education students back home. I work with students who typically
struggle in school and become discouraged easily with traditional
curriculum. The first time I showed my students pictures of the kids in
Ghana, they became so curious and excited to learn more about the
Ghanaian way of life. I saw a desire to learn that I just had not ever
seen before. My students have now become experts of life in Ghana, and
recently taught other students at my school about Ghana during our
multi-cultural day exhibition. We have also started an African
Friendship Club where they make bracelets from the beads that I brought
back from Ghana, and sell them as a fundraiser for Bantuma School. Typically, my students with learning disabilities have great
difficulty getting their thoughts on paper. Now, they love to write
stories for the international book club because they know that the
Ghanaian students will enjoy reading their work. They are always excited
to see their books on the <a href="http://bookclub.realelibrary.com/" target="_blank">bookclub.realelibrary.com</a> site.<br />
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<div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_1219" style="width: 560px;">
<a href="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/last-day-at-bantuma-048/" rel="attachment wp-att-1219"><img alt="Sue in a beautiful dress with her class at Bantuma, Ghana." class="size-full wp-image-1219 " height="245" src="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/last-day-at-bantuma-048.jpg" title="Sue in a beautiful dress with her class at Bantuma, Ghana." width="320" /></a><br />
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Sue in a beautiful dress with her class at Bantuma, Ghana.</div>
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Please find the whole article online at <a href="http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/">http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/</a></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-89319099098490066032012-06-16T16:03:00.000-07:002012-12-30T14:29:16.889-08:00The Results Are In!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every year there is an examination conducted by the <a href="http://www.galaxyschool.net/">Galaxy School</a> for JHS 3 students in Ghana, West Africa for which they choose 5 top students from several selected schools. This year they had a total of 356 students that took this exam last April in Cape Coast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2FsA834FxCF65B4ZYY3rlGT7jewxQjLJsf4u08O_Uca_5FUP6bOZyz66ILasEeTwVk9-nl6_t0nd8b_4qev4Yo22W9RnwUw-1EGHJ89Tm5nX-X_Tnsk07yljV_yOZI7LS0MjqWWHjhw/s1600/Joe1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2FsA834FxCF65B4ZYY3rlGT7jewxQjLJsf4u08O_Uca_5FUP6bOZyz66ILasEeTwVk9-nl6_t0nd8b_4qev4Yo22W9RnwUw-1EGHJ89Tm5nX-X_Tnsk07yljV_yOZI7LS0MjqWWHjhw/s200/Joe1.jpg" width="200" /></a>We are so happy to announce that our scholarship student <a href="http://isabt.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_archive.html">Joseph Adams</a> tied for first place in the Cape Coast competition, and scored 8th place
for the whole Country! Over 4000 students took this examination! View the results here;<a href="http://www.galaxyschool.net/fr/home/result/CAPECOSTJHS3.htm" target="_blank"> http://www.galaxyschool.net/<wbr></wbr>fr/home/result/CAPECOSTJHS3.<wbr></wbr>htm</a><br />
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A second examination was conducted of these top scoring finalists and young Mr. Adams scored 13th place for all of Ghana, which entitles him to a full scholarship at the International School in Accra! <a href="http://www.galaxyschool.net/fr/home/result.html">http://www.galaxyschool.net/fr/home/result.html</a><br />
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We are so proud of you Joseph, keep up the solid work!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Cape Coast, Ghana5.105056 -1.2472345.0417935000000007 -1.326198 5.1683185 -1.16827tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-28972723022836063072012-04-22T17:31:00.003-07:002012-04-22T18:05:53.195-07:00ISABT DONATION TO THE HAILE SELASSIE CHILDREN'S LIBRARY AND RESOURCE CENTER<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b> I.S.A.B.T. </b>is proud to support the the <b>Haile Selassie Children's Library</b> <b>and Resource Center</b> with a large donation of brand new and unused books for their new facility in Accra, Ghana. <span class="text_exposed_show">The mission of the library is to provide access to
literature, literacy classes, mentoring and computer training to
disenfranchised youth 4-19 years of age within Ghana’s capital of Accra.
The center will also serve as a community space where parents,
teachers, mentors and volunteers can create and implement innovative
policies and programs affecting positive change for Ghana’s youth. We look forward to them joining the <b><a href="http://bookclubint.org/">International Book Club</a> </b>movement.</span><br />
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Children in Ghana often have little to no access to books and literature. The books in this donation were carefully chosen for young readers in West Africa. There are many Caldecott (<i>Ashanti to Zulu, The Hello, Goodbye Window</i>) and Newberry winners (<i>Bridge to Tarabithia, Holes, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Black Pearl</i>) as well as classics like <i>Oliver Twist</i> and <i>Huckleberry Finn</i> with a mix of <i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</i>, <i>The Hungry Caterpillar,</i> and <i>Days with Frog and Toad</i> for good measure. <br />
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The range of books is deliberate, this donation is designed to be a
small library is itself, with a diversity of topics, genres, and reading
skill levels.Not only were the titles carefully chosen, but the donation also contains multiple copies of certain books to encourage book clubs among the students. </div>
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Colorful picture books were provided to engage new readers and delight old ones. The donation also includes two encyclopedia sets to supplement the <span class="text_exposed_show">library's</span> scholarly offerings.</div>
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I.S.A.B.T.'s shipment will go out this week, well in time for the opening of the new library in the capitol of Ghana; Accra. We wish them all the best and we are excited to be part of this important project.<br />
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You can make a donation too. <span class="text_exposed_show">Select a book from the library's wish list or
order your favorite childhood book. YOUR NAME WILL APPEAR ON A BRANCH OF
"THE TREE OF LOVE" painted on the wall of the library. Its easy!</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> 1.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/2MQCP7DKV1Z9F/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_ws_bnyGpb0JS17ZP">Select a book from the WISH LIST<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/2MQCP7DKV1Z9F/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_ws_bnyGpb0JS17ZP)</span></a><br /> 2.Select the New York address for shipping delivery<br />
3.Your book will be delivered to our shipping location in new york,
books will be collected and delivered by the executive director CHIEDZA
MAKONNEN to the library in Ghana</span> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-15575842785706389892011-12-28T21:33:00.000-08:002011-12-28T21:33:15.125-08:00The New Coconut is Here!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Dear Friends and Supporters around the world,<br />
The new Coconut is here! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m2CY6VHxN98/Tvv6qlKJaiI/AAAAAAAAA7g/dSW2-WR1_S0/s1600/ISABTnewsletterDEC2011web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m2CY6VHxN98/Tvv6qlKJaiI/AAAAAAAAA7g/dSW2-WR1_S0/s320/ISABTnewsletterDEC2011web.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://isabt.org/coconut.html">http://isabt.org/coconut.html</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Join in the fun and read about our summer programs and new global initiatives happening around the world. </div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-81915691633627199022011-11-03T08:56:00.000-07:002011-11-03T09:03:46.068-07:00Books Bridge Cultures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: left;">Great write up about our programs in the RISD Alumni Magazine <i><b>XYZ</b></i> . Please visit page 76 in the online flip-book edition of XYZ to access the article.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://alumni.risd.edu/s/1363/index.aspx?sid=1363&gid=1&pgid=368%20">http://alumni.risd.edu/s/1363/index.aspx?sid=1363&gid=1&pgid=368</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_Bs3UQjd8vLwxuZdca6G7WzAV277Favg4_TwutrQO1Rl3nR3YAwKMLlivoP2Hj00blsKkhvJW6hkrhQ8RaTAoN22CO0ETKgUL33mFc-WjlKW8YXKLvunQFrLbtJv-Ns5leXKVz0jQmk/s1600/xyz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_Bs3UQjd8vLwxuZdca6G7WzAV277Favg4_TwutrQO1Rl3nR3YAwKMLlivoP2Hj00blsKkhvJW6hkrhQ8RaTAoN22CO0ETKgUL33mFc-WjlKW8YXKLvunQFrLbtJv-Ns5leXKVz0jQmk/s400/xyz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thanks RISD!</div><br />
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<span id="goog_585728773"></span><span id="goog_585728774"></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-22649272903977115312011-10-11T03:24:00.000-07:002011-10-11T03:24:44.173-07:00Writing Ideas and Making Books in Ghana<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Great new article by Applied Linguistics and Literacy in Africa and the Diaspora <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://renafrica.org/WESTAFRICA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://renafrica.org/WESTAFRICA.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://renafrica.org/Oct2011.html#west">http://renafrica.org/Oct2011.html#west</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603787814896394457.post-40787030086291768042011-09-15T15:51:00.000-07:002011-09-15T17:25:42.305-07:00Joseph Adams to Receive Full Scholarship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">We are proud to announce that Joseph Adams has received a full scholarship from I.S.A.B.T. to one of the most prestigious private schools in the central region of Ghana. The Flower Gay School. Joseph has won 38 awards already so we are happy to support his education even further by providing all of his book and school supplies to ensure he does his best work in the classroom. Keep up the good work Joseph!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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