Beth Carson
Women of Inspiration
Beth Carson has touched many lives on the North American and African continents. Raised in Ottawa and educated as a journalist at Carleton University, Ms. Carson enjoyed studying French and learning French-Canadian history, especially that of the Huguenots.
Over the years, Beth Carson has written articles and co-authored a French curriculum for high school students, with in-depth research on early French-Canadian history. Trips to Africa convinced her that her skills could be valuable in educating African children in a Christian context. Consequently, on returning to Canada, she and her husband established Education without Boundaries (EWB), a charitable organization to meet primary education needs in rural Africa, particularly in Zambia. Using a methodology that teaches African children to speak English before learning to read, Beth Carson developed the Let’s Speak English curriculum. This day-by-day instruction manual allows non-professional teachers to engage pupils in any setting, including outdoors under trees. In addition, the EWB funded solar panels and tablets to allow rural residents to use computers.
While in Ottawa, Beth Carson enjoys welcoming newcomers from Africa and helping them adapt to their new nation. Through her commitment to the newcomers, she assisted Ottawa resident Senika Nkanza Warner to write, publish and promote her Zambian childhood story, Senika in the Village. In addition, she also engages others to assist in her efforts. Several years ago, she connected with the Days for Girls organization and together with woman from her church she prepared and distributed washable feminine hygiene kits that enable African teenage girls to attend school every day. Because of Ms. Carson’s efforts, many African village seamstresses are now creating these kits for girls in their own communities thereby providing the girls with ongoing access to education.
Beth Carson’s achievements include editing, co-authoring books and curriculums, and training teachers for the betterment of communities in Canada and abroad. Her life has centred on language and effective teaching, especially in regards to teaching English and French as a second language. In addition, for the past 30+ years she has been providing for the early education of 20,000 plus African children as they learn English in Uganda, South Sudan, Zambia, Malawi, and Ghana, where English is the key language.
