How Thousands of Bookmarks Are Going to Improve Global Literacy

SEATTLE, Sept. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bezos Family Foundation, Save the Children and Global Nomads Group announce the launch of the Students Rebuild Literacy Challenge to give thousands of children in underserved countries a better education.

The Students Rebuild Literacy Challenge asks students worldwide to make and mail in bookmarks. For each bookmark received, the Bezos Family Foundation will donate $1—up to $300,000—to Save the Children's Literacy Boost program in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Funds generated by the program will help Save the Children's Literacy Boost program add a greater variety and complexity of reading materials to their international book banks and improve outcomes including school attendance, reading comprehension and self-confidence.

The Students Rebuild Literacy Challenge launched on September 8, International Literacy Day, to bring awareness to the global learning crisis. Worldwide, 250 million children of primary school age cannot read or write—whether they attend school or not. More than 30 million girls are out of school today and children from the poorest 20% of the population are four times more likely to be out of school than their wealthier peers. Illiteracy can lead to poverty, isolation, poor health, unemployment and weak economies.

In addition to the hands-on project of making bookmarks, the Challenge will also provide students and educators' firsthand understanding of Challenge beneficiaries and connection to other Challenge participants through blogs, video, social media and live webcasts from the field facilitated by Global Nomads Group. Youth will also have an opportunity to submit nonfiction books for inclusion in Literacy Boost's international library! Challenge participation and all resources and tools (curriculum, live webcasts, a toolkit and more) are free and available online. For details, visit http://studentsrebuild.org.

About the Partners:

Students Rebuild
Students Rebuild is a collaborative program of the Bezos Family Foundation. The Students Rebuild mission is to inspire young people to connect, learn and take collective action on critical global issues. Learn more at http://studentsrebuild.org  #SRLiteracy

Save the Children 
Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We invest in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Learn more: http://www.savethechildren.org

Global Nomads Group 
Global Nomads Group (GNG) is an international NGO whose mission is to foster intercultural dialogue and understanding among the world's youth. GNG engages and empowers young people worldwide using media, including: live-interactive videoconferencing, webcasts, social networking, gaming, and participatory filmmaking. Founded in 1998, the organization has conducted virtual exchange programs in more than 50 countries on all seven continents, reaching more than one million young people. Learn more: http://gng.org.

SOURCE Bezos Family Foundation