Grace Rwanda co-founder Elizabeth Johnson is on her way back from Rwanda and she reports that the team made great strides. Not only did they set up our second library and distribute school books, but the team also took steps to create a network of literacy partners to build an even stronger foundation for the future.

On March 20th Grace Rwanda partnered with Rwanda Library Services to hold a workshop educating a dozen local NGOs and government departments about literacy promotion and library outreach strategies that could be used to improve youth reading skills, especially in rural areas. Grace Rwanda was happy to be involved in facilitating this collaboration. We’re working together to create a national literacy movement!

Elizabeth also reports that the March 15th opening of the Kayonza YEGO youth centre community library drew incredible support from the community, and earned the attention of local dignitaries who are getting behind our cause.

More than 500 people attended, including two members or parliament, the mayor of Kayonza, the director of Rwanda’s Library Service and delegates from two government ministries, in addition to district officials, business executives and leaders from local churches and schools.

To mark the occasion, two local soccer teams played a demonstration match wearing jerseys donated to Grace Rwanda by the Canadian national women’s soccer league. We shipped 45 boxes of jerseys in all: we’ll donate two team sets to every youth centre library we open in future. Everyone was thrilled with the library, which was stocked with 2,000 books, Rotary-donated dictionaries, 10 e-readers and four laptops.

We’re building incredible support in Rwanda for Grace Rwanda’s vision of creating a new generation of readers. Thanks so much for being part of making our dream a reality.

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