This month, Grace Rwanda’s in-country team members are hard at work promoting literacy during the country’s Book and Reading Week, running February 16 to 20. With help from our supporters, Grace Rwanda was able to donate an additional 1,300 books to two schools in Muhanga, at Biti and Gitongati elementary schools, continuing our rural school mini-libraries program.

On February 17th, Grace Rwanda will host an outreach event at Biti Elementary and on 18th, the team will be in Kayonza at the Youth Centre. Our Rwandan volunteer project coordinators, Beline Uwizeyimana, and Hyacinthe Munezero, are stepping in to run these initiatives and engage local youth to join our efforts. Having dedicated team members on the ground in Rwanda not only helps minimize the cost of travel for the Grace Rwanda team, but encourages locals to take ownership of literacy programs.

Meanwhile, here at home, Grace Rwanda is continuing to work towards raising enough funds to cover the cost of our planned third youth centre community library in Kimisagara. We’ve got a ways to go, but every little bit helps.

We’d like to applaud Victoria’s Oaklands Elementary School for doing their part to help bring books to Rwandan youth. On a recent visit there, Grace Rwanda co-founder Elizabeth Johnson was delighted to learn the students had raised over $3,700 in donations for our cause, which will go to supply books in rural schools.

Have a peek at part of Johnson’s presentation to the Oaklands students in this video. Johnson is available to come to your child’s school for presentations too, contact us at info@gracerwanda.org for details.

You can get regular updates on our work by following @GraceRwanda, liking us on Facebook, adding us in your Google+ circle, and watching our videos on YouTube.

The best thing about the holidays? Giving to others and making a real difference in their lives.

So, “This Holiday, Give A Library!”

Grace Rwanda has launched a new crowdfunding campaign to buy books for primary classrooms through Indiegogo.

We’re aiming to raise at least $1,000, to buy books for schoolchildren in Rwanda’s Muhanga district. We have until Dec 31 to do it.

Please help us give the gift of hope and literacy this season. Even small donations add up. Donations over $25 are tax deductible.

We’d love it if you’d also share our efforts online  on your social networks with your family and friends to help us spread the word — and spread a reading culture in Rwanda.

Have a look at our campaign page on Indiegogo. And click on the picture above to watch a short video on Grace Rwanda’s work!

You can get regular updates by following @GraceRwanda, liking us on Facebook, adding us in your Google+ circle, and watching our videos on YouTube.

Grace Rwanda’s grand opening of the Muhanga Youth Centre Library was covered by a Rwandan local news program. Click the image above to watch the clip.

The official grand opening was Sept. 2, 2013. The community appreciated the new books, dictionaries, magazines and journals, tables and chairs and book shelves we provided. The youth who use the facility to do their homework now have some excellent reading resources. This piece gives a great overview of the work we are doing there to bring books and literacy to youth. Plus, watch the wonderful dancers at the opening ceremonies!

Our youth centre library was so successful that a Rwandan government ministry asked to partner with us to create 20 more such libraries in YEGO youth centres across the country.

Elizabeth was much in demand by the local Rwandan media during her trip. In addition to the news broadcast, reporters from area newspapers came to interview her at the library launch.

If you are curious about our coverage in Kinyarwandan, have a look at these articles published in Umuseke and  Izuba Rirashe.

Want to see more of Grace Rwanda in action? Check new photos of the Muhanga project on our Flickr site.

We’re thrilled to be launching the next phase of our “Let’s Read Together” mini-libraries program this fall. Stay tuned for news about upcoming fundraisers and events to support our exciting new initiative. Learn more at Toonies4Change.org.

Stay in the loop with us by following @GraceRwanda, liking us on Facebook, adding us in your Google+ circle, watching our videos on YouTube.

Marie-Louise Kaligirwa lost her entire family to the genocide and by God’s grace she made it out alive and lives to share her story and the hope that she has in God. Marie-Louise works with the Grace Rwanda Society to help restore lives and invest into the next generation of Rwandans.

Though the genocide in Rwanda happened a couple of decades ago. There is still so much healing and restoration needed. Watch her daunting and spine chilling story

Grace Rwanda was featured on Global National News on July 16, 2010. Watch the segment.