Editor,I read your editorial  that appeared on the February 7, 2011 edition of The New Times regarding the promotion of a reading culture in Rwanda.

 I want to commend your call to all levels of society to help foster literacy.
As you noted, knowledge is indeed the basis of nation building and by
extension to all civilization.

I am  from   Louisiana,United States, where we continue to struggle with literacy issues as well.  We have some of the highest illiteracy rates in the nation. 

Public libraries have come to play a large role in helping to combat illiteracy and under-literacy with the many programs they sponsor.

As the first public library, the Kigali Library, nears completion, I hope that the library directors have given some thought as to the role the library can play to promote reading especially among the very young.

Typically, children of illiterate or under-literate parents grow up to be illiterate/under-literate themselves. 

The library can be a tool for those parents unable to read to their children by sponsoring story hour and other programs that get the very young into the habit of reading daily.

I should like to be the first to volunteer my services for story hour and hope that others will come forward to volunteer their time and talent toward this effort.
Please let me know how I might contact the library directors in order to do so.

Gwenn Laviolette
Kigali via USA
gwenn.laviolette@gmail.com