Supporting children's books in indigenous languages

[Brookes, Tim]

Good day! You have probably heard from me before in my capacity as founder of the Endangered Alphabets Project. I'm now working with my students at the Champlain
College Publishing Initiative (at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, USA) along with the nonprofit organization Our
Golden Hour in an effort to publish four children's books in the
endangered languages of the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. We are hoping to raise money to publish and ship these books through a Kickstarter fundraising campaign.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts, as you may know, are home to 13 indigenous peoples each with their own distinct
cultural identity, history, and traditions. Many have their own
languages, but those languages, and the culture they are a part of, are
in danger of being erased.

Virtually all schools in the Chittagong Hill Tracts teach classes in Bangla, the country¹s official national language.
However Bangla is not a language spoken in the Hill Tracts, and as a
result the children¹s education is difficult, confusing, frustrating,
and
often futile. By second grade, 35% of students drop out, and that number
jumps to 65% by fifth grade. Fewer than 2% complete their education.

In an effort to preserve the indigenous cultures of the region through
improving educational materials, the Champlain College Publishing
Initiative has launched a Kickstarter in order to fund the writing,
illustration, and publishing of four books for the children of the
Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Saving these endangered languages and cultivating education within the
Hill Tracts is not possible without support.  Please head to our
Kickstarter page and check out our cause at http://kck.st/1mZdPMZ.
I recognize only too well that academics are paid poorly and have little disposable cash lying around. If all you do is pass on the word of our campaign, though, that will surely help.
Best wishes,
Tim Brookes
http://www.endangeredalphabets.com