‘Kalamu Ndogo’ ni mfululizo mpya vitabu vya watoto vilizoandikwa na watoto chini ya Jukwaa letu na Kiota cha Simulizi cha Watoto na Vitabu. Kiota hiki ni nafasi ya watoto ya kulea vipaji na kujenga stadi za uandishi, simulizi ndani ya Mkahawa wa Vitabu Soma. Vitabu hivi vinatokana na utafiti wa majaribio wa jinsi ya kuwawezesha watoto kutafiti na kuandika hadithi zao wenyewe zinazotokana na uzoefu wao na zinazochota hazina ya utamaduni wa kiTanzania. Hadithi hizi ni ushahidi wa uwezo wa watoto ya kutumia ngano za kimapokeo kama kichocheo cha kuandika hadithi za kusisimua zinazoakisi uzoefu wao, muktadha na mustakabali wanaoutamani. Utafiti huu uliendeshwa na Soma kwa ufadhili wa Neil Butcher & Associates. Mchakato na matokeo yake ni sehemu ya juhudi za Shirika la William and Flora Hewlett Foundation na Early Learning Network za kuimarisha usomaji katika ngazi ya awali kwa kutafiti na ‘kuhifadhi taarifa za mafanikio ya miradi ya majaribio na ubunifu katika kuandaa na kusambaza matini bora ya usomaji’.
‘Kalamu Ndogo’ (Little Scribes) is a new book series written by children for children under the tutelage of our Watoto na Vitabu storytelling hub and platform integral to Soma Book Cafe. The hub is a space for children to nurture their readership and storytelling skills. These books are a product of experimental research on how to facilitate children to research and write original stories inspired by Tanzanian storytelling traditions and informed by how they experience contemporary realities as children and their aspirations beyond the here and now. The research was led by Soma with a grant from Neil Butcher & Associates. It contributes to William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Early Learning Network’s efforts to support ‘sustainable early reading ecosystem…’ through ‘successful experimentation with and documentation of….innovative content creation and usage models in early literacy.’