Latest News

Thank you to the Banbury Guardian for telling all your readers about the nomination of Faith Muntu and the Lost Elephant for The Week Junior Book Awards 2024.

We are very pleased to share that our author, Sarah Hutchinson-Jarman has been nominated for an 'Author of the Year' Award in the Women's Business Awards 2024. The awards celebrate the accomplishments of businesswoman globally, with the finals taking place in December.

Sarah works so hard for The Lela Initiative and goes above and beyond her role as an Author/Illustrator: organising book talks, running our social media, working our events and championing our work. Congratulations, Sarah!

We are very ox-cited to share that one of our author/illustrators was chosen to paint two oxen for this summer's Oxtrail in Oxford. Sarah Hutchinson-Jarman chose to base one of her oxen on her children's book - Frog Finds Home. Just like in the book, her design depicts the journey that Frog takes to find his home.

Sarah Hutchinson-Jarman's second picture book 'Chameleon’s Colour Quest' is now available to pre-order for release this autumn. Remember that by ordering any of our books, you are gifting a book to our library projects in Uganda.

Lela and Andrew will be at the upcoming Beijing International Book Fair thanks to a generous sponsorship opportunity. We look forward to meeting new people and sharing our vision for transforming lives through books on a new continent.

The Lela Initiative is very proud to announce that Faith Muntu and the Lost Elephant has been shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Awards 2024. Faith is up for the Children's Book of the Year in the Fiction Younger category.

We are pleased to be working with the African Writers Trust this year in support of aspiring writers. The upcoming weekend of seminars provides informative seminars about self-publishing in Africa. If you are a writer in Africa wanting an in-depth understanding of what it takes to publish your book, this event is for you.

We are excited to announce that The Lela Initiative team, along with our children's book authors, will be at Park Fair this June. Come and visit our stall and experience our interactive sensory storytelling sessions throughout the whole weekend.

Lots of hard work and our second library renovation in Uganda is already coming along nicely. However, we are up against the clock now to ensure we get this space watertight before the rains hit, or our hard work will be ruined. Please consider helping us by donating, buying a book or twinning your bookshelf.

Samuel Lutaaya, our 2023 competition winner in Uganda has received a second delivery of books this week after the first 200 copies of Ne Gw’ozadde sold out. Well done and a very worthy winner.

Lela will be at the London Book Fair this week. Do get in touch to arrange a meeting.

Today we are able to announce the joyful news that last week, our founder, Lela Burbridge was able to attend Buckingham Palace and meet the Queen. Lela was accompanying her two daughters who were in the final of the BBC’s 500 Word Competition. The family had a wonderful experience and we’re excited about the prospect of more budding authors!

We are very grateful to St Mary’s Church in Chipping Norton who sent over a large donation today. This money will enable us to continue to print books here in the UK, bringing in funds and raising the profile of our work. Thank you!

Today we are able to announce the launch of our latest twinning projc with Sinyaland Center Library on Kalangala. Local visionary, Solomon, has already built a museum on the plot next to the library, which preserves the history and culture of the Ssese Islands. Now, his dream is to complete a community library that will serve the people on Kalangala and all the surrounding islands. We are thrilled to be able to partner with him on his and expect work to commence in the next few weeks.

Over the course of 2023, our author and illustrator Sarah Hutchinson-Jarman visited 1025 children, treating them to a sensory play workshop based around the adventures of Frog in her book Frog Finds Home.

Some of the children were so inspired by Sarah's talks they even went on to create their own versions of Frog Finds Home and comments came back from OFSTED saying they had never seen children more engrossed in one book!

We are now booking talks, visits and workshops for 2024, please get in touch if you are interested!

What a fabulous first evening at Winchcombe Christmas Market. Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by to say hello! We will be back from 10am tomorrow morning. Do brave the weather to come and browse our lovely stall and support the work that we do.

Thank you to all who came to see us and those purchased items at Burford Church Christmas Market and Winchester School Market.

Those sales will help us provide more books for communities in Uganda.

Suzy Elliott's book Pablo The Pleasing Parrot is officially released today!

Well done to Suzy and her fabulous illustrator Claire Pinfold. If you haven't picked up your copy yet please do! Such a fun story and it makes the perfect Christmas present.

Visit our Shop to purchase your copy or you can find us this month at:

Burford Church Christmas Market 1/12/23

Winchester House Christmas Market 2/12/23

Winchcombe Christmas Market 8-9/12/23

On our stalls this Christmas, you will find some beautiful items from Uganda: bags, scarfs, placemats and coaster holders twisted and filed from cow horn.

The money made from these items will go to support our volunteers in Uganda.

You can find us this Christmas at:

Burford Church Christmas Market 1/12/23

Winchester House Christmas Market 2/12/23

Winchcombe Christmas Market 8-9/12/23

This Sunday you will find our team, including some of our fabulous authors and Illustrators at Oxford Indie Book Fair. Do stop by and visit our stand.

The Oxford Examination School, OX1 4BG

Sunday 26th November

11a,-4:30pm

Free entry

This week, we have been celebrating some of our amazing writers in Uganda with an awards ceremony in Kampala and a book launch on Kalangala.

We had so many aspiring authors enter our writing competition that our judges had a hard time choosing the favourites.

Particular congratulations to our shortlisted authors: Aaron Gguma, Uyer Jackson, Mirembe Hadija and Anziku Emmanuel. And to our winner Samuel Lutaaya who had his own surprise book launch on the island of Kalangala.

Today we received 500 copies of Pablo the Pleasing Parrot written by Suzy Elliott and illustrated by Claire Pinfold. The print quality is fantastic - thank you Beadles Books.

Visit our Shop to pre-order a signed copy, which will arrive in time for Christmas.

Pablo the Pleasing Parrot is now available to pre order with delivery in time for Christmas! Written by Suzy Elliott and illustrated by Claire Pinfold Pablo is so much fun -

Gregory Green spends hours each week, trying to teach his parrot to speak.

But hard as Greg tries, Pablo never replies...

When trouble comes. Can Pablo spring a surprise??

Suzy Elliott’s collaboration with Claire Pinfold is a lyrical and visual delight.

Do order your copy now and share with friends too! We simply cannot wait for Pablo's launch!

We are excited to announce that today we are launching our new imprint Namuli Hutchinson Press to enable us to offer publishing contracts to individuals who would like to keep 100% of their rights.

We understand the dedication that goes into every word, every page and every story. At our imprint publishing house, we don't just print books; we craft literary works of art where we combine the creative freedom of self-publishing with the professional expertise of traditional publishing, ensuring the author's vision remains intact while benefiting from our experienced team's guidance.

If you are interested in bringing your manuscript to print, you can find out more about what we offer at:

www.namulihutchinsonpress.comm

After a visit from author and illustrator, Sarah Hutchinson-Jarman, where she ran sensory workshops based on her book Frog Finds Home, Carrington Infant School sent this lovely email:

Huge thank you for today. It was brilliant and the children gained so much! I can’t wait to twin and do more fundraising for The Lela Initiative.

Interested in an author visit. Contact us to find out more.

We are thrilled to introduce the winner of our annual writing competition in Uganda. The competition was open to all members of the ALZAX Foundation readers and writers book clubs in Uganda. We were overwhelmed with the response and some very promising new writers emerged but it was Mr Lutaaya who won The Lela Initiative 2023 Writing Competition.

Mr Lutaaya wins a writing contract with The Lela Initiative, sponsored by The Book Typesetters.

His new book Ne Gw’ozadde will be published in Uganda and explores the importance of family and the value of all children.

Thank you to the head of our judging panel Cathy Evans of Inkspot Publishing.

We are very excited to announce our next children's book, Pablo the Pleasing Parrot, written by the Suzy Elliott and illustrated by Claire Pinfold has now gone to print!

Stay tuned for details on how to -preorder. We adore this book and can't wait for you to read it.

Are you going to the Independent Publishers Guild Autumn Conference? Do keep an eye out for our founder, Lela Burbridge and talk to her about the work we do.

The Lela Initiative are proud to announce the shortlist for this year’s writing competition in Uganda:

Aaron Gguma with We Should Have

Uyer Jackson with The Breakfast Dine

Mirembe Hadija with Shira the Office Bully

Anziku Emmanuel with The Ghosts of Millow Hill

Lutaaya Samuel with Ne Gw’ozadde

The overall winner will receive a book contract with The Lela Initiative, sponsored by The Book Typesetters.

Runners up will receive a cash prize Ink Spot Publishing and all four will receive mentoring from our amazing team of authors, editors and publishers.

We are very excited to be able to share our new video which explains a little more about what our publishing house does, including our work mentoring aspiring writers in Uganda and twinning libraries in schools.

Thank you to Alfie Dale, Clare Evans and Terra Libra Agency for making it happen.

Plans are coming together for a new video which will help explain what The Lela Initiative is and the difference we make to lives in Uganda.

Filming with Alfie Dale and Clare Evans will take place in the coming fortnight.

We are very excited to announce that our founder, Lela Burbridge, now has her book 'Dare to Trust God's Word' available in Uganda at Aristoc Bookstore. You can find it in the religious section of the Kampala Road branch.

Our current Twinning project with Full Primary School in Kasaala, Uganda is now in the final stages. The new flooring has been laid and the bookshelves have been constructed and painted (see the photos below).

Please consider Twinning or making a donation to ensure the new bookshelves are packed with books.