Uncategorized – Open Hearts Big Dreams

Keeping Learning Alive Through 1,000+ Days Without School

Ellenore Angelidis — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 23:09:55 +0000

Keeping Learning Alive Through 1,000+ Days Without School A Community Story from Rural Ethiopia Yohannes Bimrew When the sun rises over the Choke Mountains in Gojjam, children used to begin their long walk to school. They followed narrow paths, crossed rocky ground, and faced cold, windy mornings just to learn. Birtukan was one of them. Every day, she and her friends made…

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Some Words of Inspiration from our Logo Designer and Artist Yeggy Michael

Ellenore Angelidis — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:30:40 +0000

Yeggy Michael, artist and designer of our logo, yeggysworld.com My vision is to provoke questions about natural cycles, provide a sense of place and to reflect on the movement of time. My paintings, I consider personal works though they are for others. They are positive contacts for vibrant thoughts and spiritual moment. I use mosaic to illustrate the unity and lusciousness of diversity.

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Books As Instruments of Peace

Ellenore Angelidis — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 18:15:22 +0000

by Ellenore Angelidis, Executive Director/Founder Peace is an enormous and important concept. It encompasses peace within, and peace without. Looking at the definitions again reminded me that it is really about so many different things at the same time. Peace: 1. a state of tranquility or quiet; 2. freedom from civil disturbance; 3. freedom from disquieting or…

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OHBD’s Literacy Initiatives Continue to Garner International Recognition

Ellenore Angelidis — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 01:53:01 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 2024 – Open Hearts Big Dreams (OHBD) and the Ethiopian Section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY Ethiopia) are elated to announce that two of the OHBD Ready Set Go Books (OHBD-RSG) were honored at the 29th Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2023 in Riyahd, Saudi Arabia. Friends Forever: A Tale of Two Fruits, by Yoseph Ayalew…

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Open Hearts Big Dreams Ready Set Go Books Honored Among “Best in the World”

Ellenore Angelidis — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 20:07:37 +0000

July 2023 – Open Hearts Big Dreams (OHBD) is delighted to announce that two of their OHBD-Ready Set Go Books (RSG) have been honored with Gourmand Awards 2023. My Five Senses, by Elizabeth Spor Taylor, was listed as First in “Food Books for Children—Africa.” And Letter from a Plow Nation, by Dr. Worku L. Mulat, was listed as Second in “Sustainability Books” and noted under “Africa Fund Raising.”…

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Open Hearts Big Dreams Launches Black History Month Collaboration with Etan Comics

Ellenore Angelidis — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 19:16:51 +0000

Open Hearts Big Dreams Launches Black History Month Collaboration with Etan Comics February 2023 – To celebrate Black History Month, Open Hearts Big Dreams (OHBD) is launching a special collaboration with Etan Comics, the creator of the character Jember, the first Ethiopian superhero. The partnership makes the children’s book version of Jember available in multiple new languages and formats…

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Open Hearts Big Dreams Creative Lead Jane Kurtz Honored with a Prestigious International “Reading Promoter” Award

Ellenore Angelidis — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 15:13:50 +0000

Open Hearts Big Dreams Creative Lead Jane Kurtz Honored with a Prestigious International “Reading Promoter” Award August 2022 – Open Hearts Big Dreams (OHBD) is delighted to announce that Jane Kurtz, who volunteers with OHBD as the creative lead on OHBD Ready Set Go Books (RSG), will be receiving an exceptionally high honor from the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). Kurtz…

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Celebrating Jane Kurtz’ IBBY Reading Promoter Award and her volunteer efforts with OHBD – Blog Post One How OHBD Ready Set Go Books Started

Ellenore Angelidis — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 16:45:42 +0000

We are delighted to kick off a series of posts celebrating our volunteer Creative Lead Jane Kurtz whose work with us (and others) was recognized by IBBY with a Reading Promoter Award. In a couple weeks, Jane will be accepting the award in Malaysia. Leyla and I are thrilled to be joining her. There is so much that goes into this work. We wanted to share more from behind the scenes drawing from…

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OHBD RSG Book Distribution and Library Training in Gondar

Ellenore Angelidis — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 17:51:08 +0000

By Caroline Walker, Executive Director of Together We Learn (an OHBD collaborating organization) Access to reading materials is very important to the lives of the young people we work with. Across the country, many children do not have books at home. Those that do have access to books, learn to read earlier, have a better chance of staying in school, and greater opportunities as adults.

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OHBD Language Preservation – Dizin Children’s Books for Maji Ethiopia: “an amazing treasure”

Ellenore Angelidis — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 18:23:42 +0000

How do we do it—pull meaning from symbols on paper, or from bits of light and dark in flickering electric impulses? This miracle is called reading. I learned to read in Maji, in deep southern Ethiopia. My mother taught me in my own childhood language of English. As I filled workbooks at our dining room table, I heard Ethiopian children in the little school nearby chanting their reading lessons…

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