Jenny Robson, an award-winning author living in Botswana, wrote and donated her short story Courage like a lion to FunDza for use on its mobi site and Mxit portal.
FunDza is hugely appreciative of Jenny’s support in getting South African teens reading. FunDza’s programme “Growing a community of readers” is only made possible through the kind support of donors, like Jenny. As is evidenced by the growth in FunDza’s readership on its mobi network and Mxit portal, which now reaches almost 15,000 readers, these efforts to get teens interested and engaged with fiction are working.
Courage like a lion is being serialised on FunDza’s mobi network now. And, readers are loving it! The story is about Ndaba and his struggle to find pride in his own life. He watches as his thrill-seeking friends get acclaim from their dangerous train-surfing stunts. Must Ndaba risk his life to make his girlfriend proud of him? Read it to find out!
Jenny has won both national and international acclaim for her work. She has been awarded the Sanlam Youth Literature Prize five times and was given the UNESCO Prize for Youth Literature in the Service of Tolerance for the novel Because Pula Means Rain. This is a novel about an albino teenager living in rural Botswana.
Jenny began writing many years ago, after fighting her way to the other side of a highly traumatic personal experience. Wanting to learn more about the art of writing, she took a course with a well-established college. Her tutor was not impressed with her work and told her she should give up and try another ‘hobby’. She ignored his advice, continuing to believe in her dream. After a few more years of struggle and rejection, she began to achieve success.
And so her advice to young writers is: “Don’t let anyone discourage you! If you feel the urge to write deep inside you, then give it all you have. It may take hard work and struggle, but it is worth it. There is so much fun and joy to be had along the way!”
If you would like to support FunDza’s Growing communities of readers programme, please contact us on info@fundza.co.za.