Verizon Media and Yahoo!, in cooperation with GEANCO Foundation has officially launched STOR14S, a podcast that features short stories for children narrated by some of the world’s renowned actors. This campaign was established to help raise money for Africa with their fight against coronavirus.
โSTOR14Sโ will feature GEANCO ambassadors Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave), Thandie Newton (Westworld), and David Oyelowo (Selma), Russel Brand (Arthur), Zoe Saldana (Avatar), and more. All talent fees for the series were donated to GEANCO, with Verizon Media donating commercial inventory for direct display ads to the foundation to raise awareness for the vital work itโs doing across Nigeria along with providing listeners with links to donate to their prevention efforts.
The stories were selected through Yahoo’s writing competition that was held throughout this pandemic. The winning children’s short stories will take listeners on exciting journeys in mysterious bookshops, fictional Africal empires, secret tunnels, and more. It will provide relief through entertainment in this very challenging time.
โFocusing on our mental health has never been more urgent, and we hope โSTOR14Sโ will inspire families during this very difficult time,โ said Guru Gowrappan, CEO at Verizon Media. โWe are committed to continue to use our platform to drive change, bring stories that should be told to life and amplify awareness for voices and organizations like GEANCO, and their efforts that are making a true difference in people’s lives.”
GEANCO’s relief aid includes donations of necessary health materials like gloves, face masks, disinfectants, etc. to hospitals in Nigeria, especially in the maternity clinics, to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. Apart from that, the foundation has also provided tablets preloaded with books and lessons for African childrean that are quarantined in their villages. The foundation is also donating tablets preloaded with hundreds of books to children quarantined in their villages.
โI am really happy to be lending my voice to this creative effort to support GEANCOโs critically important coronavirus initiatives in Nigeria, through the power of storytellingโ said David Oyelowo. โI’m also delighted that my friends from the entertainment industry have joined me in bringing attention to a continent that is especially vulnerable to the effects of this pandemic.โ
โWe are honored to partner with Yahoo and our celebrity supporters on such a fun and compelling podcast seriesโ said Afam Onyema, CEO of GEANCO. โSTOR14S will empower us to save more lives and educate more vulnerable children in Nigeria.โ
Jack’s Dream | June 18 | Benedict Cumberbatch |
The Emperor’s Daughter | June 22 | David Oyelowo |
Mr Oviarty’s Mysterious Bookshop | June 25 | Jeff Daniels |
The Diary of Primrose Goldie Gold | June 29 | Megalyn Echikunwoke |
The Sunshine Cake | July 6 | Aldis Hodge |
Aargh! There’s a Monster in my School! | July 2 | Russell Brand |
Matty Hides in Midgeton | July 9 | Chiwetel Ejiofor |
The Dog that would be a Prince | July 13 | Rachel Brosnahan |
Flying Colours | July 16 | Edi Gathegi |
Polly Tumpkin’s Pumpkin | July 20 | Kobna Holdbrook-Smith |
Magic Squirrels | July 23 | Thandie Newton |
Being Mean | July 27 | Sam Adegoke |
The Runaways | July 30 | Zoe Saldana |
Dragons Like Shiny Things | August 3 | Lonnie Chavis |
The podcast is available globally on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other podcasters, and distributed by Acast. To listen to the podcast, just search for STOR14S.
hmmm..interesting…
True ๐