The Young Eritrean Writers Program: Inspiring Young Voices ✏️
Jonah and I thought it’d be fun to share an update from the Young Eritrean Writers Program — now starting its 3rd year! 🎉
Back in 2023, this program began with a simple but powerful question from kids in Eritrea who had heard Jonah share about his books: “Can you help us become writers, too?”
Of course, the answer was YES!
Together with my dear friend Robel, and with the support of incredible teachers, parents, and partners, we decided to launch the Young Eritrean Writers Program to help young people dream, learn, and create.
Fast forward to today…and the program now has 20 amazing students, all A+ scholars with big imaginations and even bigger hearts. ❤️
This year, we’ve divided them into two groups:
-Grades 6–8, led by Teacher Feriha
-Grades 9–11, led by Teacher Mussie
Each group meets three times a month — twice for class and once for a field trip, where students explore new places, observe the world around them, and then write about what they’ve seen. ✏️
This month’s field trip was especially exciting — the students visited Eri-TV, the official media network of Eritrea 🇪🇷, to learn how television and news are produced!
Leading these field trips is Rafael, one of Eritrea’s top journalists with Eri-TV. After covering our Book Event in Asmara, Eritrea, this past summer, he was so inspired by the students’ talent and curiosity that he decided to get involved personally. Now, he’s helping them see what it’s like to be authors, producers, journalists, and more in the real world! 🎥🗞️
And there’s even more good news — the students are working on a new collaborative book! 📖
Jonah and I are so proud of these bright young writers and the incredible team supporting them. Together, we’re helping shape a new generation of storytellers who will share their voices with the world. 🌍