‘I would say to somebody who says books are not important, don’t fool yourself. If you can read, you can lead.
Veronica, student, Liberia
Enjoying fine stories
Veronica is a student in Monrovia, Liberia. She loves to read whenever she can, but she also knows that reading can be the key to a brighter future.
My name is Veronica. I’m thirteen years old. I’m in the 5th grade. I live in Soniwein community in Liberia with my mother and siblings. They are not in school. I go to school and when I come back, we work together, we read, we play and we study lessons.
I live in Buy Your Own Things community. The name is because this community is where, when people steal your things, they come here to sell them. So, you can come here and buy your own things back.
I love the teachers at school. The teachers use books to teach us. They use the books every class period. I really studied in my lessons and I got moved up by two years. I love reading, it is my favourite subject. I have books in my school. Most of the time I read – in the Principal’s office, when I am in class and at home. I read books other than my lesson books because I want to read, I want to know how to read!
If you don’t go to school people will make a fool out of you. And you will be nobody in the future. Going to school can help you to learn how to do things and become somebody in the future. That’s what going to school can do for you.
When I grow up, I want to be a journalist. Learning how to read, it will help me become a journalist. I know it will help me.
Generation Reader
Find out how we’re helping 10 million children and young people in Africa unlock their potential through the power of books
My favourite books, because I have more than one, are This Little River, School is Good, Health Habits for Everyone and Why Spider has 18 Legs.
My favourite of these is Health Habits for Everyone. It’s in our library here. I like it because it makes you practice good health habits, for you to keep your community clean, for you to keep your school clean, for you to not get sick.
When Book Aid International sends the next container of books I would like them to send books that have animals and fine stories, that’s what I would pick. Those are the books I want them to send. Books that have fine stories inside.
It is good for children in Liberia to have books, as it is good for them to be learning new words. Yes, I want children in Liberia to learn new words from the books.
Don’t fool yourself, don’t let anybody fool you. I would say to somebody who says books are not important, don’t fool yourself. Books are very important, reading helps me to understand, to learn not only to understand my lessons but to understand some things that I don’t know. That’s why I love reading. I know readers are leaders. If you can read, you can lead.
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All images © Carielle Doe
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