Fire in English and Tigrinya — Jane Kurtz

Profits from books sales will be used to create, print, and distribute more Ready Set Go Books to kids in Ethiopia.

Ready Set Go books are often based on wise sayings from Ethiopia that many people know and use. The sayings 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.

Illustrations in this collection were created by Katie Bradley. She is a mother of 3 children, one of whom was born in Ethiopia. She and her husband have traveled to Ethiopia twice, and have fallen in love with the country and its people. Amidst a busy and full life, she has become an artist and children's illustrator. Katie enjoys volunteering in her children's school, teaching art in a number of classrooms including the second grade classroom in Vancouver, Washington that made these illustrations.

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.

Ethiopia is 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. Only 68% of ages 7-12 attend primary school. Adult literacy stands at 49% with men at 57% and women at 41%. Only 7.5% of the adult population have any post-secondary education.

OHBD MISSION: Inspiring and enabling youth, their communities and organizations who serve them by providing literacy, education, commercial and leadership opportunities.
Our focus is to support 501(c)(3) organizations and their programs that provide literacy, K-12 education, leadership as well as that support the parents and communities where the kids live, in Ethiopia.