World Vision Rwanda and partners launched a community library (Isomero Rusange) that will improve the ability of children at the Nkombo Community to learn to speak, read and write Kinyarwanda so as to catch up with the rest of the country.
The Nkombo Community Library, the first of its kind on the island will enable Nkombo children, who are born using the Amahavu dialect, to learn Kinyarwanda, one of the national languages that is also used as a mode of teaching in primary schools in Rwanda.
The library was established by USAID Uburezi Iwacu, (Homes and Communities) project implemented by World Vision Rwanda as Prime organization, together with Imbuto Foundation, and, Humanity and Inclusion. This work is made possible by other local implementing partners including DUHAMIC ADRI, AEE and YWCA. The celebration of the library launch was blessed with support from a number of Soma Rwanda members. Soma Rwanda is a Rwandan education sector platform that brings together the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC)/Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) and development partners dedicated to promoting a culture of reading and literacy throughout Rwanda.
The all-inclusive learning center, which will serve over 2,000 children from the five cells on the island was opened by the Director General of REB alongside officials from Rusizi district, World Vision, USAID and UNICEF Rwanda, during the celebration of the National Literacy Month (NLM) held this Friday September 20, 2024.
It has children’s books in kinyarwanda and English, play and self-learning aids, customized reading tablets among others that will enhance this year’s National Literacy Month theme: Fundamental learning a key to promote multilingual education”
Since 2021, the USAID Uburezi Iwacu project, through World Vision Rwanda and partners, has established 15 community libraries across Rwanda, including this newly established in Nkombo where the first children from the island are now benefiting from it.
REB DG, Dr. Nelson Mbarushimana recognised the role and efforts of development partners in improving the education system where the Competence based curriculum is being implemented, training teachers and teaching aids provided to improve the culture of reading and writing.
“That is why we want to ensure that every child has access to a book, a book which promotes our cultural values and we will put in more efforts to acquire more linguistic books so as to teach more languages,” Mbarushimana said.
On behalf of the government, Mbarushimana said that they will support the Nkombo community to expand reading space at the first community library but also invest in providing more books and content that teach children Rwandan values of integrity, kindness, humility, speaking the truth, hard work and patriotism among others.
On the outset, REB donated boxes of classroom and reading books plus pencils to be delivered to all school going children in the Nkombo community, starting September 23, 2024, books, so as to promote children’s access to reading and writing at school and at home.
On behalf of the World Vision (WV) Rwanda the representative of the National Director, Dez Byamukama, the Chief of Party of USAID Uburezi Iwacu [Homes and Communities Project] implemented by World Vision and Partners, said that education is at the core of the organisation’s values and crossing to the island by boat is a reminder of how literacy should inclusively reach all communities.
“It’s not every day that we all get to travel by boat to celebrate literacy! It seems fitting that on this island, surrounded by water, we’re reminded that just like crossing the Island, literacy is the boat that carries us to new horizons-whether it’s across an ocean of knowledge or simply to new opportunities in life,” Byamukama said.
Byamukama stressed the importance of literacy and investing in the literacy of a child as a foundation of investing in the future of the country and a generation that will lead Rwanda to even greater heights as with education, comes national development.
“At World Vision, we firmly believe that every child deserves access to quality education regardless of background. Our mission is to ensure that children, particularly those from vulnerable families, are equipped with the tools they need to succeed,” Byamukama said.
Through various literacy programs, infrastructure development, and teacher training, WV Rwanda (and partners) have worked tirelessly to provide a strong educational foundation and environment ensuring that children have access to age-appropriate reading materials and fostering a culture of reading at the community level.
Some of the initiatives and programs where children can thrive include the USAID Uburezi Iwacu, the McGovern Dole Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) where World Vision collaborates with WFP and MINEDUC funded by USDA, Unlock Literacy.
WV Rwanda efforts also extend to establishing community libraries just like the one opened at Nkombo, to providing learning materials, and organizing reading camps where children come together to learn, read, and grow.
“We have seen remarkable success stories, from children who have improved their reading skills to communities that now value literacy as a critical tool for development. These successes show the power of partnership and shared vision,” Byamukama said.
Byamukama announced that collaborating with Soma Rwanda platform is one of one of the great partnerships to create lasting change in promoting a reading culture and thus World Vision is deepening this partnership by supporting the recruitment of a staff member—a Soma Rwanda Advisor—to coordinate and support literacy promotion activities across the country.
“This will ensure that our combined efforts to promote literacy are consistent, impactful, and far-reaching,” he stated.
The USAID Education Office Director for Rwanda, Dr. Aliou Tall said that they join the NLM 2024 to deliver on their promise to support the education sector and specifically ignite a passion for reading, enhance literacy skills, and build sustainable partnerships that will carry forward the momentum of existing initiatives during the month.
“USAID will also remain a strong partner of the Soma Rwanda Platform in advancing literacy efforts to foster a culture of reading across the country,” Tall said.
He also encouraged parents, caregivers, community leaders and children on the island to take advantage of these interventions and help build a reading culture in their families and communities beyond the dedicated month.
“It is essential that children begin reading early, and we (USAID) will share the responsibility to make books and reading materials accessible to them,” Tall reaffirmed USAID’s commitment.
During this NLM 2024, stakeholders are expected to highlight activities of reading as the foundation of all future learning and academic success.
Teachers will be at the center of encouraging pupils to read and do their own research and parents, provide their children with reading materials, give them time to read, and read with them.
Gervais Mabano, the Soma Rwanda Advisor said that they are committed to donating more books, improving curriculum and training teachers so as to improve linguistics.
To ensure that children are motivated, the Soma Rwanda platform awarded the best children in reading and writing children’s stories- an event which saw children with different disabilities (sight and speech) emerging among the best of the best.
The awarded children received brand new customized reading tablets PCs (ATOUCH model with Android 12.0 operating system), school bags, books and other accessories worth over Rwf9million.
The National Literacy Month is organized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Soma Rwanda platform that was launched in 2012, this platform is made up of members working on education and it seeks to engage communities, raise awareness, and highlight the progress made in literacy development across the country.
