AIDGLOBAL launches bilingual children's book to reinforce learning in local languages

Maputo, April 21, 2026- The promotion of reading and Mozambican languages ​​was at the heart of the presentation of the bilingual children's book "Os Sapatos Sonhadores" / "Svifambu Svavalorhi", an initiative of AIDGLOBAL that brought together authors, educators and institutional representatives in Maputo.

The launch took place on Tuesday, April 14th, at the Portuguese Cultural Center in Maputo, as part of the round table “Writing, Translating and Illustrating for Children”, and highlighted the role of bilingual literature as an instrument of inclusion and learning from early childhood.

During the meeting, the Portuguese ambassador to Mozambique, Jorge Monteiro, emphasized the centrality of education in development, in a country where approximately 60% of the population is under 30 years old. “Education is a true engine of development and allows every citizen to have access to equal opportunities to realize their life aspirations. That is why Portugal considers it one of the priority pillars of cooperation with Mozambique, which will continue to be reinforced in the next strategic program 2027–2023,” he stated.

The president of the Portuguese Language Bibliographic Fund, Nataniel Ngomane, also defended the need to strengthen access to books, considering that "the country will only develop when the majority of the population has access to the knowledge that is in books."

The work presented is part of the Books to Start With collection, an initiative of AIDGLOBAL that promotes children's literature in national languages ​​and has already distributed several titles free of charge in Mozambique.

According to the founder and President of the Board of Directors of AIDGLOBAL, Susana Damasceno, "the project stems from the need to promote quality education, valuing local languages ​​and facilitating children's learning based on their own reality." She adds that the book 'The Dreaming Shoes' "is the sixth title in the collection, but the seventh bilingual children's book produced by AIDGLOBAL and distributed free of charge in Mozambique." The work began in 2018 and will continue until July 2026, with the support of Camões and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.