Thirteen Months of Sunshine: Ethiopia's Unique Calendar in Amharic and English

In the Ethiopian calendar, a year is divided into 13 months. Ethiopia's position near the Earth's Equator exposes it to more sunlight than many countries, a feature that helped turn Ethiopia into an international travel destination. Ethiopian scholar Dr Worku Mulat wrote this insightful look into the unique calendar system of Ethiopia and how an innovative leader used it to boost worldwide interest in the ancient country's abundant natural and cultural assets. Gorgeous portraits of the towns and countryside of this beautiful African nation by brilliant Ethiopian artist Daniel Getahun help illustrate why Ethiopia is home to 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and remains a top travel destination. Dual translations in English and Ethiopian languages including Amharic, Tigrinya and Afaan Oromo support literacy in diverse and under served populations. Ready Set Go Books, an Open Hearts Big Dreams Project, is focused on increasing the literacy rate in Ethiopia through giving readers books with stories in their heart languages, full of colorful illustrations with Ethiopian settings and details. Profits from book sales are used to create, print, and distribute more Ready Set Go Books to kids in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country. Ethiopia's population is 44% children, ages 0-14 (43 million out of 97 million total). Only 5.5% of children attend pre-school or kindergarten, and the adult literacy rate is 49%. Our books are based on wise Ethiopian sayings that often rhyme in Amharic. If an adult says the first half, many children can chant the second half. Sometimes the meaning of these sayings is clear. Sometimes it has to be puzzled out and argued over. But sayings and idioms and proverbs help people express truths and beliefs in unusual ways. Since late 2017, OHBD has published over 100 unique #ReadySetGo dual language titles in three Ethiopian languages plus English and has plans to publish another 100 titles and add more languages in the coming years. New titles and/or languages are added monthly; follow our author page to get new release announcements. Open Hearts Big Dreams Fund (OHBD) is a 501(3)(c) not for profit organization that believes the chance to dream big dreams should not depend on where in the world you are born. Our mission is to inspire and enable youth in Ethiopia through READY SET GO books, STEM and Innovation Projects in collaboration with individuals and organizations providing literacy, education, and leadership opportunities.