Begin With Books (BWB) Initiative

Under the All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD) Begin With Books award, eKitabu developed accessible early-grade reading materials in underserved Malawian languages — Citumbuka, Chichewa, Ciyawo, Ellomwe, and Malawian Sign Language (MSL). Combining newly authored titles with adaptations of existing books (including Global Digital Library content), the project produced 282 accessible titles and 1,286 unique files across formats prioritised for accessibility: EPUB, MSL video, human-narrated audio, electronic braille, and cropped/uncropped PDFs. New titles were created with Malawian authors and persons with disabilities — including the Malawi National Association of the Deaf — to positively represent children and families with disabilities, and were guided by the BWB Minimum and Gold Standards for Sign Language Video Storybooks. Developed through engagement with the Ministry of Education, publishers, and organisations of persons with disabilities, and refined through school visits and user feedback, this report details the project's deliverables, impact, lessons learned, and recommendations for scaling accessible content.