Poetry Against Poverty 3: Ratana the Environmentalist

This is the third in a short series of reports about how Wheelsong's charity initiative is achieving success.

Wheelsong Books has a longstanding partnership with Save the Children, a worldwide charity that provides aid to children in crisis across the globe. But it's not only food they provide during a famine, nor is it just medical supplies and healthcare they supply in war zones. Save the Children are also committed to providing children with education and learning opportunities so they can support themselves, their environment and their local communities. 

You may already have heard about the Ethiopian Camel Library our book sales from recent anthologies have helped to fund. That was a classic, innovative project to provide ways for children in hard to read areas with books and literacy skills where no one else could do it. Here is another recent innovation from Save the Children: 

Ratana, 13, is on a mission to clean up Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake, and she’s inspiring her community to join her. She and her friends are passionate about the environment, and have learned more about how to protect it during eco-lessons we’ve introduced at her school. We’ve also teamed up with a local partner to develop innovative plastic-collecting devices called biobars, and teach the kids how to build their own. Ratana’s making waves in her community, and she’s not going to stop anytime soon. 

Ratana says: “The biobars are very important to the environment. There was a lot of rubbish but this year, there has been some reduction. I am very proud to see that people cleaned up and also reduced pollution.”

Thanks to your support, we’re with her every step of the way.

Read more about this story here.

This is just one more great reason why you should support Wheelsong Books and our poets who have pledged the sales profits from their books to support Save the Children. Poetry against Poverty!

Steve Wheeler

Image courtesy of Save the Children