Head of Education Laura Gosset

One such project is the Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust, working to teach children and communities to value wildlife in Zambia. We recently heard from their Founding Director, Anna Tolan, who described how their engaging children’s wildlife magazine is supporting learning in Zambia, with Born Free’s support.

We probably all know from first-hand experience that reading is the most crucial part of a child’s education and how it enhances their knowledge. In fact, Barack Obama summed it up eloquently in these few words, ‘Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible’.

It is also widely evidenced that reading in children promotes brain development and imagination, improves concentration and memory, develops language and emotions, strengthens relationships, reduces stress and improves mental health. Nonetheless, most children in rural Zambia don’t own a book. Not a single book. They also generally don’t have access to televisions, computers, smart phones, newspapers or magazines. Even text books in schools are scarce.

It may be difficult for many people around the world to imagine a life with practically no reading material. Yet Zambian children are hungry to learn and it is humbling to witness how eagerly they snap up the opportunity to read whenever it is presented to them. They also treasure any pictures that help them to better understand the fast changing and highly challenging world that they are growing up in.

It is against this background that Kalata for Kids was developed by Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust in Zambia (in collaboration with PAKO Kids Magazine in Namibia). We had long wanted to extend the reach of our Conservation Education in Schools programme – and what better way than through an educative children’s magazine that focuses on wildlife and the natural environment.

Once the seed of the project was sown in early 2021, it became essential to source the funding for the printing of the magazines to enable its success. We are immensely grateful for Born Free’s encouragement of the project from the outset and their kind decision to financially support it.

“It is also widely evidenced that reading in children promotes brain development and imagination, improves concentration and memory, develops language and emotions, strengthens relationships, reduces stress and improves mental health. Nonetheless, most children in rural Zambia don’t own a book. Not a single book.”