Aruba ABC sprouted out of the need to help teach primary school kids deprived of up-to-date resources, didactics, parental encouragement or inner motivation to grow or learn. Initially rooted in a niche context, Aruba ABC became a multifaceted model to serve other Caribbean islands and low socio-economic communities worldwide. 


In 2018, Aruba ABC took off in Aruba, a tiny island in the Caribbean. After a successful pilot at several primary schools, Aruba ABC was granted generous support by the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund to implement the project in both Aruba and its neighboring islands, Bonaire and Curaçao. School kids in Aruba were often lacking up-to-date, local-context-driven, and visually attractive learning materials. Schools were also very dependent on a few teachers’ incidental hand-made efforts to provide resources to students. Steffen Maas, the creator of Aruba ABC, decided to create books, reading materials, and alphabet games that could make a difference. The project initially targeted Aruba’s youngest multilingual learners of Papiamento, but is now also set up in Dutch, English, and Spanish. It offers a creative tool for teachers to educate kids about their close surroundings, unlike other class materials that often refer to far away phenomena that may still represent the former colonizer’s culture.

The dynamic setup of vector-based drawings, which can be adapted to other island communities and similar niche cultures, is its key to the success. Hence, the ABC project becomes a flexible and affordable project to implement in small communities that would generally lack the funding to facilitate the creation of hyper-local culture-based printed materials or digital applications. This production model also allows Steffen to push local governments towards participation and book donation programs, and to find time and opportunities to develop subsequent reading materials, like for children with learning disabilities. Right away from its launch, the ABC project was backed by the World Literacy Foundation, as they continue to partner new plans ahead, like UKABC, USABC, or FloridABC. (This presentation invites the delegates to share their thoughts with the author and get inspired for their local communities.)

As a passionate typographer and illustrator, Steffen is dedicated to teaching reading skills, language curiosities, and hyper-local culture. While educating both creative graduates and young pupils in the Netherlands, the Dutch Caribbean, and China, Steffen explores the interconnectivity of visual literacy, the sense of language, and iconic cultural idioms.

partners

The Prince Bernhard Culture Fund (Caribbean Dept) aims to promote activities in the fields of history, literature, fine arts, music, dance, theatre, cultural education, historic preservation and nature conservation in Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba by giving grants, in order to guarantee and stimulate the culture and nature on the six islands. pcbcaribbean.com

World Literacy Foundation strives to ensure that every young individual regardless of geographic location has the opportunity to acquire literacy and reading skills to reach their full potential, succeed at school and beyond. We provide free access to quality education materials and innovate solutions that target wide-scale illiteracy. worldliteracyfoundation.org

Departamento di Enseñansa Aruba (DEA) is the education department of the Government of Aruba. It aims to create conditions for high quality education and optimal development opportunities for the community of Aruba. ea.aw

Verhalenhuis Belvédère Rotterdam wants to connect as many people as possible to each other and to the city. Belvédère reveals people, stories, local communities and the changing city to a broad audience, which contributes to the city's cultural and social development. belvedererotterdam.nl

Fonds Kind & Handicap For developing ABC class materials for schools in Aruba and Curaçao, including a visual reading method for Children with reading or learning disabilities, ArubABC is generously supported by [the foundation] Fonds Kind & Handicap in The Hague. The foundation wants to offer disabled children the best chances to develop themselves according to their own strenghts, enabling them to make their dreams come true.

Biblioteca Nacional Aruba / Biblioteka Publiko Boneiru /  Biblioteka Nashonal Kòrsou /  Blenchi School, Curaçao / Central Bank of Aruba / CineAruba / Colegio Sta Famia School, Aruba / Department of Education Aruba / Fonds Kind & Handicap, The Hague / Instituto Pedagogico Arubano / Lerarenopleiding Funderend Onderwijs, Curaçao & Bonaire / Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Curaçao / meerdanbabipangang.nl / Openbaar Lichaam Bonaire /  Pius X Basisschool, Aruba / Prince Bernhard Cultural Fund Caribbean Region / Prinses Amalia Basisschool, Aruba / Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland / sailboardsrotterdam.com / Scol Dununman, Aruba / Space 101 (Fenmei Hu), Rotterdam / St Franciscus College, Aruba / University of Aruba / University of Curaçao / Verhalenhuis Belvédère, Rotterdam / World Literacy Foundation.