CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Reading Ready Project Competition – Publishers and digital artists at Save the Children : (Deadline 15 April 2020 )

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Reading Ready Project Competition – Publishers and digital artists at Save the Children : (Deadline 15 April 2020 )

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

The Reading Ready project will address the challenges of low production and use of locally made pre-primary books highlighting gender, inclusion, and STEM by incentivizing the production of at least 50 new Kinyarwanda pre-primary level supplementary book titles highlighting these themes using a Results-Based Financing (RBF) approach. The project will also address the local limitations on the use of technology to teach reading to the youngest children by digitizing these newly created Kinyarwanda books and making them available on the Global Digital Library linked to the National Early Childhood Program website. By doing this, children and their families, teachers, and librarians will be able to access a wealth of pre-primary digital books on-line as well as off-line (for those without internet) in addition to printed books.

In addition to the newly developed pre-primary book titles, a number of already existing Kinyarwanda supplementary book titles for early grades (P1-P3) age group will be translated into English. All books will have audiobook versions. The proposed program will use results-based financing (RBF) approach to:

1. Build the capacity of the authors, illustrators, publishers, and designers to create and digitize the new books and translate already existing books;
2. Work with pre-primary teachers, librarians, and children to effectively use the new books in both print and digital versions.

For Save the Children to be able to achieve this, we are calling publishers and digital artists to send their expression of interest. Below are the key pre-conditions for the publishers who are willing to participate in the project:

KEY CONDITIONS:

• Be a Rwandan publisher with the business indigenous to Rwanda (born and has the parent company created and registered in Rwanda); this means the publishing house is not affiliated, representing, or sub-contracted by any other publishing house founded in other countries than Rwanda.
• Demonstrate evidence of publishing Kinyarwanda children’s books for the 0-10,
• Demonstrate that the Publishing house has been operational in the last four years,
• Demonstrate evidence of work, collaboration, or partnership with any institution of the government of Rwanda (REB, MINISPOC, RALC, etc.), civil society, and other relevant institutions,
• Work mainly with Rwandan writers and Rwandan illustrators,
• Be willing to continuously receive feedback to edit and improve new title development
• Nominate at least 2 authors, 2 illustrators, 1 designer they will work with and submit their work samples of nominated collaborators while applying. Winning teams will have to demonstrate how every member of the team will be motivated to fully participate in the project. Publishers are free to have exclusive or open contracts with collaborators; authors and illustrators may work with one or more publishers depending on the terms and conditions of each applicant.

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS:

• Applicants who co-apply with digital media partners to work on animations adapted from the newly developed titles,
• Proven aptitude in adopting/using digital solutions from simple ones (website, active social media account) to more complex (selling on e-stores, partnerships with digital libraries, digital publishing, using open licenses),
• Preference for proven interest in making books for early learners (0-6 years old),
• Proposal for strong non-financial incentives to reward the development of new titles for pre-primary or translation/versioning of P1-P3 books.

DELIVERABLE(S):

Working with selected publishers the project intends to produce;

• 50 new titles for pre-primary school
• 50 audiobooks
• 50 short animated films with highlighted text
• 50 books for P1-P3 translated from Kinyarwanda to English

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:  Reporting to the Project Coordinator

BENEFITS:

• Selection will give the publishers’ teams’ access to training, coaching, and quality incentives;
• Access to local, national, and global promotion and marketing opportunities;
• World Bank certificate and recommendation letters for all project’s participants;
• Participate in the project’s development of new titles; get international recognition for their titles; other networking opportunities

Interested candidates should send their application to rwanda.logistics@savethechildren.org not later than 15th April 2020 at 5:00 PM, with the subject line: Expression of Interest To The Reading Ready Project Competition.

Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted. They should be ready to submit an existing book title for pre-primary with outstanding creative content and presentation (text, design, illustrations). Preference is drawn to most creative projects cleverly featuring positive messaging on gender, inclusion, and STEM. Books must be mistakes-free at the time of submission. Mistakes will lead to immediate disqualification.

Child Safeguarding Policy:

• Any employee, consultant, contractor or the supplier undertaking an activity on behalf of SCI must sign [The Child Safeguarding – Declaration of Acceptance Form] and comply with the SCIs Child Safeguarding Policy which is a statement of SCI’s commitment to preventing abuse and protecting children with whom it comes into contact.
• This extends not only to children with whom SCI and its partners work directly, but also includes children whom staff are responsible for.  SCI believes that the situation of children must be improved through the promotion of their rights supported and demonstrated by all members of staff. Save the Children International’s Code of Conduct sets out the standards which all staff members must adhere to.
• Save the Children is zero tolerance to fraud.

If you have any question or need more information, write to erick.shaba@savethechildren.org

https://rwanda.savethechildren.net