Meet the Author

Hawa K. Soumah-Carter

The experiences of my children with reading inspired me to create “The Adventures of Sekou” for the children of Guinea. My husband began building a library at home and reading to them before they were born. After their births he continues to read to them. They have developed a love for books and reading that rivals my own. They responded initially by memorizing the stories and telling them to each other. They then moved on to bringing us books they wanted us to read to them. Now when they bring us books, they want to read them with us. Reading permeates everything they encounter both socially and academically.  

Early childhood is a crucial step in ensuring quality education in the long term. It is well established that access to books and reading are pillars for early preparation for school.  For Guinea early childhood education is complicated by the cost and the absence of culturally relevant material. 

 I created “The Adventures of Sekou” book series specifically to address the absence of culturally relevant material in Guinea. These books are distributed free to the children of Guinea. “The Adventures of Sékou” books are inspired by the daily life of Guinean children. The illustrations connect directly to the text. The level of vocabulary and syntax used in the book is age appropriate. Thus, the child can better understand the words and phrases by referring to the images.

The children of today are the future of the nation. I know that together we can overcome the vicious circle of poverty and inequality by investing in their education.