The Values of Scheherazade
Global
For millennia, humanity’s wisdom was passed down through folktales – a fragile yet vital chain now under threat. The World Story Bank seeks to protect and revive this precious inheritance by gathering traditional stories from around the world and rewilding them into modern society.
UK, Ethiopia
One of our core aims is to bridge cultures in meaningful and unexpected ways. A striking example is our initiative to return dozens of sacred objects looted by British forces from Abyssinia in 1868 to the people of Ethiopia. We are also working alongside leading barrister Samantha Knights KC to support the repatriation of eleven sacred altar tablets – known as tabots – currently held by the British Museum, to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Southern Morocco
We're helping to rebuild school buildings damaged during recent earthquakes and bringing new story books and educational materials to underprivileged areas of the Amazigh community.
Central Asia, Africa
Founded by the acclaimed American photojournalist Stephanie Sinclair, Too Young to Wed is a bold and urgent initiative with a deceptively simple mission – to end child marriage in Afghanistan and beyond.
South Africa
Few initiatives dedicated to the empowerment of women have inspired us quite so enormously as Iron Women. Launched in South Africa, the idea is simple: train groups of women to drive state-of-the-art trucks and enable them to receive equal – or even superior – income to their male counterparts.
Morocco, Kenya
A bold and imaginative initiative bringing the power of stories, books, and imagination to communities in Morocco and Kenya. These mobile and pop-up libraries are not only painted purple – a colour chosen for its vibrancy, dignity, and joy – but are also designed to ignite curiosity and a love of reading among children and families who may otherwise have little or no access to books.
Pakistan
Millions of kids throughout the world go through childhood without ever being exposed to a treasure trove of illustrated books. We have been hugely inspired by the Alif Laila Book Bus Society, which aims to give children the tools they’ll need for adulthood.
South Africa
Based in Hout Bay, South Africa, Amoyo is a shining example of how creativity, care, and community can come together to transform lives. Through a vibrant programme of dance, drama, music, and life-skills training, they support disadvantaged and at-risk children aged 5 to 19 – providing them not only with access to the performing arts but with a deep sense of self-worth, discipline, and direction.
Egypt
For a thousand years, in Cairo’s ancient Court of the Tentmakers, craftsmen have created textiles that, quite literally, have protected lives. Sewn into their tents and embroideries are amulets and talismans regarded as powerful forces for good. Today, however, the numbers of tentmakers are declining at an astonishing rate. We are thrilled to be working with these expert master craftsmen to keep alive traditions linked to stories and storytelling which stretch back to the era of A Thousand & One Nights.
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