Description
On changing, and the traditional image of Maine and its people is changing. Stories can help us celebrate our individual experience of difference while developing an appreciation for differences in our neighborhoods, communities, and the world beyond.
The African Women's Literacy Project was developed and implemented by Portland Adult Education in Portland, Maine. Through the project, Somali mothers with babies or toddlers received tutoring in their homes. Storytelling was used both to explore and celebrate Somali culture and to provide a basis for English instruction. One of the project participants was Somali refugee Nadifo Ayanle. In 2001, one of her teachers, Joy Ahrens, persuaded her to link her stories and memories of Somalia with the letters of her native alphabet. The result was this book, A Somali Alphabet.
The Maine Humanities Council contributed the funding for Portland Adult Education to produce and print the first edition of this book in 2001. The second printing, in 2003, featured a map and description of Somalia. It was funded by Born to Read, the early literacy program of the Maine Humanities Council, as part of its New Mainers Book Project.
