The Great Rift Valley Lakes

Home to over 300 kinds of birds, the Rift Valley in Ethiopia is home to a vibrant and diverse ecosystem, including Nechisar National Park. The lakes formed by the Rift Valley attract rare and endangered wildlife and support the people who raise livestock along the lake shores. Beautiful watercolor illustrations by art students at Clark College bring the birds and animals of the Rift Valley to life. Side by side text in English and indigenous Ethiopian languages like Amharic, Tigrinya and Afaan Oromo support fluency and help build vocabulary. Part of the Ready, Set, Go! series of bilingual early readers by Open Hearts Big Dreams, a nonprofit devoted to increasing literacy in Ethiopia and beyond.

Ready Set Go Books, an Open Hearts Big Dreams Project, is focused on increasing the literacy rate in Ethiopia through giving readers books with stories in their heart languages, full of colorful illustrations with Ethiopian settings and details. Profits from book sales are used to create, print, and distribute more Ready Set Go Books to kids in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country. Ethiopia's population is 44% children, ages 0-14 (43 million out of 97 million total). Only 5.5% of children attend pre-school or kindergarten, and the adult literacy rate is 49%. Our books are based on wise Ethiopian sayings that often rhyme in Amharic. If an adult says the first half, many children can chant the second half. Sometimes the meaning of these sayings is clear. Sometimes it has to be puzzled out and argued over. But sayings and idioms and proverbs help people express truths and beliefs in unusual ways. Since late 2017, OHBD has published over 100 unique #ReadySetGo dual language titles in four Ethiopian languages plus English and has plans to publish another 100 titles and add more languages in the coming years. New titles and/or languages are added monthly; follow our author page to get new release announcements. Open Hearts Big Dreams Fund (OHBD) is a 501(3)(c) not for profit organization that believes the chance to dream big dreams should not depend on where in the world you are born. Our mission is to inspire and enable youth in Ethiopia through READY SET GO books, STEM and Innovation Projects in collaboration with individuals and organizations providing literacy, education, and leadership opportunities.