Babette helps Zambian Orphans Be Happy

Babette is offering one of the original illustrations to her book Nungu and the Elephant for auction in aid of the Book Bus Foundation.

Babette will be travelling around Zambia in September on the Book Bus, an initiative founded by publisher Tom Maschler, to take books out into communities in need across the country. She will be touring in a converted Leyland bus, painted by illustrator Quentin Blake, with fellow writers, artists and musicians.

Babette will be reading and painting with the children, helping to introduce them to the magic of children’s picture books and leaving a lasting legacy of books for a mini–library in each community.

One of the places where the bus will stop is at the Kondwa Day Centre for Orphans in Ng’ombe, one of the poorest areas of Lusaka. Here some 90 children aged 3 to 7 years, mostly orphaned by HIV/AIDS, are given food and medical attention, pre–school education and loving care. Kondwa means ‘Be Happy’, but this is not easy in a country where four out of five people live on less than $1 a day, one child in seven has lost one or both parents to AIDS, and one–third of younger children are unable to attend school. The Kondwa Children’s Foundation is now hoping to extend its work by building a primary school and girls’ boarding house to provide continuing care and education for children aged 8 upwards.

Babette herself lived in a remote corner of Botswana over thirty years ago, and was inspired by her African experience to write a series of books about a little boy called Nungu.  Now she is offering a stunning original illustration to Nungu and the Elephant for auction in aid of the Kondwa Children’s Foundation. ‘The Rainbow Snakes flew over the waterfall to make a bridge for Jovo to walk on’ shows Nungu, surrounded by his animal friends, watching Jovo the elephant walk over the rainbow.

Babette hopes that her painting will indeed help the Book Bus Foundation to provide books and inspiration to many Zambian children like those at Kwonda."

To bid for the picture, carefully enter your bid along with contact details here

There is a reserve on this to be met – bids will be displayed as they arrive.

For more information, visit
www.thebookbus.org
www.kondwa.org

‘The Rainbow Snakes flew over the waterfall to make a bridge for Jovo to walk on.’
from Nungu and the Elephant © Babette Cole 1980