TheOneRing.net sponsorship updates.
Tehanu @ 9:54 pm EST

We're really pleased with the results of our two sponsorships this year. We contribute to the "Books in Homes" programme in NZ. "Books in Homes" not only makes books available to schools in poor areas, but fosters a love of books and reading in places where this might not normally be the case. There's been a lot of anecdotal evidence from the schools involved that BiH makes a big difference to reading levels among children, and this year NZ Council for Educational Research is doing a survey to determine exactly how effective the programme is.

Individual schools have been doing their own surveys, of course. The latest BiH newsletter shares the results of Rawene School's inclusion in the Books in Homes programme: two years ago, 75% of Rawene's pupils were the below the national average for readers of their age. Now, after two years with "Books in Homes," that figure has shrunk to 35%, while 42% are now above the average literacy for their age.

Meanwhile we got mail from the World-Wide Fund for Nature. We sponsor one of their marine conservancy programmes dedicated to saving the endangered Hector's Dolphin. WWF's Lynda Murray wrote to say, "We had a win last week - which is great!! The govenrment announced a new management plan for North Island Hector's Dolphin which is really very good."