The Power of Stories: From Simple Idea to Transformative Impact

In January 2024, Express International, through our CSR arm Ken Kares, embarked on a mission that would prove how strategic partnerships can create exponential community impact. What began as a straightforward collaboration with the Guyana National Library to bring bedtime stories online has evolved into something far more significant: a digital literacy platform that's reaching thousands of children, families, and educators across Guyana and the diaspora.

The initiative, known as Twilight Tales, demonstrates how corporate social responsibility can extend far beyond traditional charitable giving to create lasting, scalable impact through innovative partnerships.

Twilight Tales: Stories Without Borders

The concept was elegantly simple: create a YouTube-based storytelling platform that would make quality children's literature accessible to anyone with an internet connection. But the results have been anything but simple.

With only 11 story videos uploaded to the Twilight Tales YouTube channel, the platform has already been viewed over 60,000 times. To put this in perspective, that's the digital equivalent of 150 people walking into the library every single day for a year—to listen, learn, and fall in love with stories.

Breaking Down Barriers to Literacy

Traditional library access faces numerous challenges: transportation barriers, limited operating hours, and the need for physical presence. Twilight Tales eliminates these obstacles entirely:

• Geographic Accessibility: Children in remote areas of Guyana can access the same quality content as those in Georgetown
• Time Flexibility: Families can enjoy stories at bedtime, during travel, or whenever it fits their schedule
• Global Reach: Guyanese diaspora communities worldwide can maintain cultural connections through familiar stories
• Educational Resource: Teachers and educators can incorporate these stories into their curricula
• No Cost Barriers: Complete accessibility with just an internet connection

The Express International Difference: Authentic Voices, Genuine Impact

At the heart of Twilight Tales lies something that sets this initiative apart from typical corporate CSR efforts: authentic employee engagement. Every story on the channel is read by volunteers from the Express International team who donated their time and voices to create meaningful experiences for young listeners.

This approach serves multiple purposes:

Showcasing Our Team's Communication Excellence

The same clear, professional voices that serve our business clients bring warmth and expressiveness to children's literature, demonstrating the natural English fluency and communication skills that make our team exceptional.

Creating Cultural Authenticity

Our Guyanese team members bring genuine cultural context to both international classics and local stories, ensuring that young listeners hear familiar accents and inflections that make the content feel personally relevant.

Building Team Purpose

Participating in Twilight Tales gives our employees a meaningful way to contribute to their community while representing Express International's values in action.

Measuring Impact: Beyond Views and Engagement

While the numbers are impressive—60,000+ total views and 1,194 total engagements—the true impact of Twilight Tales extends far beyond digital metrics:

Cultural Preservation

Stories like "Why Anansi Has Eight Thin Legs" help preserve Guyanese folklore and cultural traditions for new generations, ensuring that traditional narratives continue to thrive in the digital age.

Accessibility Advancement

For children with visual impairments or reading difficulties, the audio-first format provides an inclusive way to experience literature.

A Model for Public-Private Partnership

The success of Twilight Tales demonstrates how strategic partnerships between private companies and public institutions can create impact that neither could achieve alone:

Library Benefits:

• Extended digital reach without additional infrastructure investment
• Professional-quality content creation through volunteer voices
• Consistent content production schedule
• Enhanced community engagement through digital platforms

Express International Benefits:

• Meaningful CSR impact that aligns with our core competencies
• Team engagement opportunities that build purpose and pride
• Community visibility that showcases our values in action
• Content that demonstrates our communication capabilities

Corporate Social Responsibility That Creates Lasting Value

Twilight Tales represents Express International's approach to CSR: strategic initiatives that create sustainable impact while authentically representing our organizational strengths. Rather than simply writing checks, we're investing our most valuable asset—our people's time and talents—in ways that create lasting community benefit.

Key Principles of Our CSR Approach:

• Alignment with Core Competencies: Leveraging our team's exceptional communication skills to serve community needs
• Sustainable Impact: Creating content that continues to benefit the community long after initial investment
• Employee Engagement: Providing meaningful ways for our team to contribute their skills to community benefit
• Partnership Approach: Working collaboratively with established institutions to amplify impact
• Measurable Outcomes: Tracking both quantitative metrics and qualitative community feedback

The Ripple Effect: Inspiring Broader Community Engagement

As Twilight Tales continues to grow under the stewardship of the Guyana National Library, we see it as more than just a successful CSR initiative—it's a proof of concept for how businesses can create meaningful community impact.

We encourage other Guyanese businesses and organizations to explore similar partnerships. Whether by contributing to the existing Twilight Tales initiative or launching new projects that expand educational access, storytelling, and community connection, every organization has unique capabilities that can benefit the broader community.

Beyond Twilight Tales: Our Ongoing Commitment

While Twilight Tales represents our most visible CSR initiative, it's part of Express International's broader commitment to community development through Ken Kares. We believe that businesses have a responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the communities where they operate, and we're continually exploring new ways to leverage our capabilities for community benefit.

Join the Story

Twilight Tales proves that meaningful corporate social responsibility doesn't require massive budgets—it requires creativity, commitment, and authentic engagement with community needs. By aligning our CSR efforts with our core strengths, we've created an initiative that serves children and families while showcasing the values and capabilities that make Express International exceptional.

📺 Explore the Twilight Tales Channel
📚 Learn More About the National Library
🤝 Discover Express International's Services

Together, we can keep the stories going—and demonstrate how strategic corporate citizenship creates value for businesses, communities, and future generations alike.