#IamWANDA: Support Where's WANDA Book Series
Let's empower the next generation of women leaders - one little girl at a time!
Welcome! My name is Tambra Raye Stevenson and I am on a mission to help young black girls and women become leaders in their communities. How am I doing this? Through a new organization called WANDA, which stands for Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics and Agriculture.
The food we eat, how it is grown and how it makes us feel has a huge impact on our health, especially in black communities where people are suffering from conditions like diabetes, heart disease and obesity. I believe if we help black women and girls learn more about the food system and the great things they can achieve as food entrepreneurs, nutritionists, farmers, activists and more, they can transform the health and wellbeing of communities at home and abroad!
What does that have to do with me?
Do you want to help transform our food system and share the power of fresh, nutritious foods? Do you believe black girls and women have a role to play in leading their communities?
If you answered yes to either of these questions then there is someone I would like you to meet!
One way WANDA will help educate the next generation of women leaders, is through our children's book series, "Where's WANDA?"
"Where's WANDA?" tells the story of Little WANDA, a young girl who travels to African countries to discover the healing properties of healthy local foods and brings them back to her community to help people in need! Each book in the series will feature a female farmer, or Big WANDA, who guides Little WANDA through her journey. The series will highlight traditional foods, address chronic diseases, and will also introduce readers to successful role models working in the food system!
Each "Where's WANDA?" book will also be translated into a language spoken in the country Little WANDA visits! The first bilingual book takes place in Nigeria and will be translated into Hausa, a language spoken in the north. I was inspired to feature Nigeria in the first book after tracing my ancestral heritage to the country. Through Little WANDA's adventures, we can encourage girls to take an interest in the link between health, history, and cultural heritage!
Right now I need your help getting "Where's WANDA?" into the hands of our young ones. I'm inviting you to join our movement, make a difference and provide you black girls with a book made with them in mind! Can I count on you to help make this project a reality?
WANDA HAS BEEN FEATURED IN...
AND MY WORK IN COMMUNITY NUTRITION HAS BEEN FEATURED IN...
Produce and promote the first independently published "Where's WANDA?" book! The content has been drafted, reviewed and the storyboard has been signed off to begin full color illustration! We still need to finish the full-color illustrations by Genii Games, have the book translated in Hausa (a language spoken in northern Nigeria), hire a professional proofreader, hire a book publicist and cover the printing fees for the first-run of 1000 print copies. Electronic copies will also be made available.
Cover travel to northern Nigeria to launch the #IamWANDA initiative and share the "Where's WANDA?" book series. Through our photos, videos and writing, we want to help our supporters experience the journey of bringing WANDA to Nigeria. Currently, WANDA is being registered as a nonprofit initiative in Nigeria. I am scheduled to provide training to a site for people displaced by Boko Haram, a teaching hospital in Kano, and a primary school in Abuja. I will also provide the "Where's WANDA" book series to youth in Yola!
Develop an online platform to serve as an educational resource for women and girls. WANDA has contracted Julian Kiganda to develop the #IamWANDA online platform to highlight women and girls as leaders using food as a tool for change, and share informational resources to advance their educational and entrepreneurial goals in agriculture and nutrition.
Our project is well underway, however your support can help finish the work!
You can receive a book with a social impact! This awesome perk includes an audio book, a 32-page digital book or 32-page printed autographed, full-color, first edition book of the "Where's WANDA?" series entitled "Little WANDA Finds a Cure for Nana". In this story, Little WANDA travels from America to Nigeria to find foods that can heal her grandmother's diabetes. In the book, we will also highlight two recipes!
You can also show your love for WANDA with this black t-shirt and/or Little WANDA's "magic" apron featuring some WANDA wisdom from the first book.
What if we don't reach our financial goal? If we don't reach our financial goal, we will have to limit the number of copies we print and the number of women and girls we can support, but that will not stop us from helping them realize their potential in transforming themselves and their communities healthfully and economically.
Where are the books made? The digital books are made in Lagos, Nigeria. We are proud to provide all our suppliers with a sustainable, fair trade income.
Where do you ship? We ship worldwide! Enjoy free shipping to the continental United States and Canada. For orders going to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and international destinations, we offer a subsidized shipping rate of up to $20 USD.
Can I buy a book as a gift? Yes, they make wonderful gifts!
How can you help support WANDA? You can support us by spreading the word! Sharing our giving story and posting photos of Little WANDA on social media helps reach more people and ultimately feed more children. Follow us onTwitter and Facebook!
Is WANDA a charity? No, WANDA is a non-profit organization with women and girl empowerment at its core. We believe in the power of social enterprise to inspire girls to see their full potential in the farm to fork movement. Our mission is to empower women and girls by providing education, advocacy and innovative approaches so they grow, learn and prosper.
Your support means everything to us! Every dollar, every tweet and every time you talk about WANDA helps our mission! THANK YOU!
