Dear Friend,
Fifteen years ago, the Esperantic Studies Foundation (ESF) funded an enterprising group of young Esperantists to set up a website, Lernu.net. We were confident it would help a new generation learn Esperanto, and connect with people we had never reached before. But the scale of success exceeded our expectations. Lernu has grown into a vibrant online community with over 225,000 users (and counting…), and thousands of page views every day. Today, the website is known all over the world.
Esperanto is thriving on the Internet as never before. With the success of yet another internet learning website, Duolingo, more and more new Esperanto speakers need access to in-depth resources for further study, experience Esperanto culture, and become part of the Esperanto community. Lernu.net provides those resources and experiences to people from all over the world, all free of charge, and that includes people who live in countries where there are no Esperanto societies or traditional courses.
This success stems from enthusiasm, talent, and thousands of hours of volunteer work. But Lernu (and other Internet-based projects, such as Edukado.net) wouldn’t be possible without a substantial investment from ESF. We’ve backed the project from the initial planning phase, through all of its growth and success, and through the last phase completed just this summer: the new Lernu.net with the new fun course, enriched library, and improved user experience. And just as Lernu.net couldn’t become what it is now without the investment from ESF, ESF wouldn’t be able to exist without the generous support from its donors, like you. Thank you! As one of our donors, Fernando Maia Jr., from Brazil, said, “I donate to ESF because I agree with and trust the work that they fund. ESF runs and supports some of the most important spaces for Esperanto on the internet, always with a modern eye and inspiring results.”
Our heartfelt thanks to you from the ESF and Lernu teams. We would like to ask you consider supporting ESF/Lernu also this year and in the future! You may make a one-time donation or set up automatic monthly donations (esperantic.org/donations/online-giving) or you can donate through UEA: esfo-p. As a donor, you will be recognized on the virtual “Donor Wall” on our website. You can also give to Lernu.net directly: http://lernu.net/en/subteno.
Sincerely,
Humphrey Tonkin
President, ESF