Letter of Sponsorship
27th August 2009
Dear Sponsor
Re: Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project
“Changing lives and raising literacy levels”
Sikhula ngokubhala
Dancing Pencils Writing Clubs book launch in Durban’s City Hall on September 11th 2009.
We are able to have this prestigious venue because of the funding supplied by the Celebrate Durban committee, and we would dearly love to invite 200 principals from disadvantaged schools to come, with a learner and a librarian, to watch the launch and to receive a pack of our current year’s books produced by our Dancing Pencils Writing clubs, not only in KwaZulu-Natal, but in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, where children of all cultures and ages, write books in their own languages which umSinsi Press, a niche publisher, publishes. Any unit of financial assistance would enable us to invite a few principals. Book packs are R1 000.00 each. To achieve our aim of having 200 principals present to receive packages of new books we do need R200 000.00
This Literacy Project has been set up to give books to disadvantaged schools without reading material and the books written by our members are very interesting and appropriate reading material for other children. Often children have similar problems of poverty, and death of a parent, and in writing about it as a story, children release their trauma. It also makes for helpful reading material for other children to read that they are not alone with their problems. Then there are books by children with more fortunate financial situations. These stories act as a spur to the belief in better things for poverty stricken children.
On our website://imsinsi.com, in the section “Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project” you may download an application for funding and a brochure of our many achievements. We really know that if sponsors wishing to help with literacy were aware of what we were doing, they would love to help!
We are special people and a jump-start to a rapid increase in literacy is coming from a different approach to the holistic term of reading that includes writing, communicating, listening, critical thinking, problem solving and lateral thinking. This comes about through the use of non judgmental, non critical teaching, done by trained mentors who are using the right side of the brain. This has resulted in the publication of 1300 titles of books in English and indigenous languages over the past 12 years, by our publishing side, umSinsi Press cc. The majority of these books have been written by children.
Education departments are rapidly taking on board this method which allows children to relax as they write. The project has huge needs and, with sponsorship, can lift South Africa’s literacy levels to new heights.
The first of the needs, as mentioned, is to obtain sponsorship for 200 packs of new books to be given to 200 principals of disadvantaged schools at the next annual national book launch of new books in September of each year. This which would give much joy to learners in deep rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal.
We would love to hear a positive response from you.
Thank you very much indeed.
Yours sincerely,
Felicity Keats Morrison
Director
Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project
2009 Sponsorship Letter
1 April 2009
Dear Sir/Madam
The Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project, with committees to support its publicity in all nine provinces, is a National Project that aims at increasing the literacy levels in South Africa. In the whole of Africa, South Africa is at the bottom of the list when it comes to literacy.
A jump-start to a rapid increase in literacy is coming from a different approach to the holistic term of reading that includes writing, communicating, listening, critical thinking, problem solving and lateral thinking. This comes about through the use of non judgmental, non critical teaching, done by trained mentors who are using the right side of the brain. This has resulted in the publication of 1200 titles of books in English and indigenous languages over the past 12 years, by our publishing side, umSinsi Press cc.. The majority of these books have been written by children. Education departments are rapidly taking on board this method which allows children to relax as they write.
Dancing Pencils Writing Clubs exist in many of the provinces. These clubs work voluntarily to give an opportunity for members to publish their writing and so have a platform to be “heard.” Our authors have been on radio, n SABC TV, on CNN, in newspapers and magazines throughout the country. Sponsors would be assured of being part of this publicity.
For the most part, books are brought out in small limited print runs. The Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project has been set up to give books to disadvantaged schools in rural and township areas without story reading material. It has also been set up to pay for the origination of books (typing, editing, typesetting and cover design) as well as for the training of mentors.
For the past four years we have had an annual book launch which has been attended by clubs from around the country. In 2007 and 2008 we were part of the Celebrate Durban festivities who did a partial sponsorship for us and allowed us the use of the Durban City Hall for two days for a launch that had education representatives from all nine provinces.
The project has huge needs and, with sponsorship, can lift South Africa’s literacy levels to new heights. The first of the needs is to obtain sponsorship for 200 packs of new books to be given to 200 principals of disadvantaged schools at this year’s annual national book launch in September..
We enclose a projection for the growth of clubs over the next five years, with a list of our needs for this year’s book launches and book handovers, as well as our dreams. Thank you.
F. Morrison Director,..…………………..
Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project
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