Ant Juju and Karibu the Frog

After last year’s successful bid to fund a children’s book for free distribution in Mozambique, Formiga Juju is back with more. This time round, we want to produce another children’s book plus: a sign language adaptation of the story; a jigsaw puzze; and a mobile library. A project aimed at promoting inclusive education, in association with AIDGLOBAL, DSF-Douleurs Sans Frontiéres and LIVRO ABERTO.

Karibu the Frog is a resilient and well-worn traveller with unwavering good nature. He takes everything in stride and boasts an amazing willpower. Not even the fact that he is mute will bog down his spirit. There are so many other ways to communicate! When his bicycle becomes tired and quirky, his childhood friend, Ant Juju, turns to the ant community expecting them to fix it. However, she is shocked to learn that the ants -- known for their entrepreneurship and team spirit -- have lost their sense of community and actually discriminate anyone who differs from them. With a heavy heart, Juju thus joins Karibu on a long journey across the desert to seek advice from Old Ubuntu, a wise and mythical baobab tree.

The project A Formiga Juju e o Sapo Karibu (Ant Juju and Karibu the Frog) was designed by a group of people involved in assorted social endeavours. They share one mission: reaching out to children. This initiative is aimed at creating a locally-embedded literacy model combining reading materials and creative arts tools to promote diversity and inclusion. The goal is to publish an illustrated children’s book for free distribution; produce a jigsaw puzzle; record a sign language video adaptation of the story; and create a mobile library out of a traditional Mozambican man-pulled cart.

The target group is children living in vulnerable conditions, who are geographically or socially marginalized. In particular, we are reaching out to children with special educational needs and their caregivers. The project is to be implemented in the Mafalala slum, a historic quarter of Maputo where leading Mozambican figures were born (e.g. the poets Noémia de Sousa and José Craveirinha). The book will also be distributed beyond this scope, namely throughout Mozambique and potentially in other Portuguese-speaking countries. 

After last year’s successful bid to fund a children’s book for free distribution in Mozambique, Formiga Juju is back with more. This time round, we want to produce another children’s book plus: a sign language adaptation of the story; a jigsaw puzze; and a mobile library. A project aimed at promoting inclusive education, in association with AIDGLOBAL, DSF-Douleurs Sans Frontiéres and LIVRO ABERTO.

About the author

Last year, Formiga Juju was the first project on PPL to reach its fundraising goal. With a 3,670 euro bid, the team printed 500 copies of the book “A Formiga Juju na Cidade das Papaias” (Ant Juju in Papaya City) for free distribution in Mozambique, particularly among underprivileged children. With the help of a wide network of partners, the book reached the provinces of Maputo, Gaza, Sofala and Niassa, as well as the Angolan capital, Luanda, through a group of volunteers. Throughout this process, a spontaneous movement was born combining likeminded people who share a common goal: to promote literacy and creative arts among children living in vulnerable conditions so they can themselves become the authors of their own stories. 

(Please follow the link on the names to obtain more info)

Cristiana Pereira is the author of the Formiga Juju stories. Based in Maputo, she has more than 15 years’ experience in the editorial sector, including collaborations with a series of news organizations. She is an independent consultant specializing in content development for international aid agencies and the private sector. She is also a mother.  

Walter Zand, the multitalented artist behind Formiga Juju’s illustrations, is a rising star in Mozambique’s contemporary art scene. He draws inspiration from this own neighbourhood, Xipamanine, and is also a teachers’ trainer and a father.

Mia Temporário combines technical expertise with creative freedom to generate singular graphic design works. Based in Maputo, she has authored Formiga Juju’s design concept since the first book. She is also a mother.

Formiga Juju’s activities are planned under a pedagogic framework that envisages art and creativity as a therapy. When in touch with their creative source, children acquire important tools that enable them to deal with their own “monsters”, i.e. fears and traumas, thus paving the way for a more balanced and happy growth. Our advisory in this important area is Suzana Duarte, a specialist in early childhood development with more than 20 years’ experience in Europe and Africa, particularly Mozambique.

Budget and due dates

Images

Documents

• Apresentação do projecto

  pdf • 889.83 KB

• Orçamento do projecto

  pdf • 912.42 KB

• Quando a chuva nos toca: um testemunho

  pdf • 1.41 MB