Innovative magazine for curious kids

Sri Lanka Solidarity last week announced the launch of a new magazine called "Yuti" created especially for children in Sri Lanka.

Yuti, which means 'unity' in Sanskrit, aims to 'inspire, challenge and educate children by exposing them to knowledge to which they would otherwise have little access,' according to Editor Carmen Perera.

It will be distributed free to children across rural Sri Lanka, with emphasis given to distribution among children who have recently suffered trauma due to natural disasters or armed conflict.

Eventually, the publishers hope to reach a total of some 1.2 million Sri Lankan children.

Yuti incorporates a fresh new approach to magazine design, one aspect of which is its trilingual format; the magazine carries articles and features in Sinhala, Tamil and English. Its attractive, colourful design makes innovative use of graphics and illustration and contains features, games and interactive sections to gain the attention and interest of children.

The content will be mainly educational, though presented in a way that appeals to children, and covers a wide range of subjects. Among these will be science, world history, nature, the environment, arts, sports, technology and more. The magazine will also place particular emphasis on Sri Lanka's own impressive, colourful history and cultural heritage.

'The success of this exciting new project will see the creation of a new and authoritative resource for children of Sri Lanka,' says publisher and founder of Sri Lanka Solidarity Philippe Fabry. 'Not only will children enjoy it for themselves, it can also be used as an educational tool by parents and teachers as they guide children along the path towards independent, informed and responsible young adulthood.'

Yuti will be published under the local NGO Sri Lanka Solidarity, which is supported by Solidarité Laïque. Solidarité Laïque is a French NGO dedicated to making the universal right to education a reality around the world, using lasting solutions. The organization works closely with local partners and is involved in seven education-related projects in post-tsunami Sri Lanka. These range from school reconstruction to equipment supply and professionalteacher training.