I can remember as a child how my imagination used to run wild… books came to life, characters became my friends, I lived out stories, my dolls played out scenes… I could sit for hours alone in my room and I was in another world! A world where anything was possible because I was told stories and I read books!

This is something that is important to me as a mom to pass onto my child and it brings me no greater joy to read to my daughter, tell her stories and see the sheer joy in her eyes as I captivate her attention.

There’s no denying that there is power in storytelling! stories drive creativity and imagination, they empower. They can provide stimulation, ease loneliness and offer comfort. Stories don’t only provide a form of edutainment – they are an essential life skills.

Stories introduce children to worlds, concepts and images far beyond what they know. From astronauts to super-inventors, friendship, acts of kindness, magic, and everything in between – children can see and believe in new possibilities for themselves.

After a successful initiative and outpouring of generosity shown by the South African public, Cadbury Dairy Milk is taking it a step further with the launch of the Glass & A Half Project Presents: There’s a Story in Everyone – an initiative which aims to inspire these children through the power of storytelling.

Cadbury Dairy Milk has partnered with two award-winning South African stars, singer and songwriter, Shekhinah, and hip-hop artist and TV presenter, ProVerb, to share their inspirational stories with orphaned and vulnerable children across South Africa.

For these children, the impact of the past few months is greater than we can imagine. They have less contact with volunteers and limited resources – now more than ever orphaned and vulnerable children need us to add more love, hope and inspiration into their lives.

Together they are calling on South Africans to do the same in the hope of encouraging and inspiring these children to dream big and imagine a world of possibilities far beyond their reality. Aiming to rekindle our culture, our storytelling and heritage to build the connection and show orphaned and vulnerable children that we love them and they belong to all of us. Building connection to comfort orphaned and vulnerable children through edutainment.

South Africa is a land of storytellers – the tradition of storytelling is one of the most ancient in African culture. For centuries oral storytelling has been a crucial tool used between generations to transmit a deep knowledge of culture, history, tradition and social norms. Beyond entertainment storytelling, teaches morals and values, informs, educates and empowers the listeners.

By now you’ve probably supported the Cadbury Dairy Milk Glass & a Half Project by buying a specially wrapped slabs or two, thank you for your generosity! The toys, books and games are on their way to the beneficiaries. But there’s another way YOU can get involved by sharing your story to inspire our orphaned and vulnerable children. The most inspiring and appropriate stories will be collated into an e-book and shared with the orphaned and vulnerable children which we hope will inspire them to dream big. 

For details of how to share your story follow the conversation @CadburyDairyMilkSA on Facebook or @Cadbury_SA  on Twitter and Instagram, and visit https://cadbury.co.za/storytime/ 

I will also be sharing MY story on my various platforms and just how easy it is to write and submit a story, so keep an eye on my pages.

#GlassAndAHalf
#TheresAStoryInEveryone

This is a paid partnership with Cadbury Dairy Milk.