Rwinkwavu residents were excited to gather on February 7th, 2011 to celebrate the ground breaking of the Rwinkwavu Community Library and Learning Center. The 775 square meter Center, is a Ready Reading Initiative in collaboration with Partners In Health, the Ministry of Sports and Culture, Kayonza District and the community of Rwinkwavu, located near the Rwinkwavu District Hospital.
Rwinkwavu residents were excited to gather on February 7th, 2011 to celebrate the ground breaking of the Rwinkwavu Community Library and Learning Center.
The 775 square meter Center, is a Ready Reading Initiative in collaboration with Partners In Health, the Ministry of Sports and Culture, Kayonza District and the community of Rwinkwavu, located near the Rwinkwavu District Hospital.
Construction will be completed in approximately one year, and the Center will open its doors to the public. The Center will house many titles for children and adults in Kinyarwanda, Swahili, English and French. Training will be offered in Kinyarwanda literacy, English as a foreign language and basic computer skills.
Partners In Health will use the space for conducting educational programming on community health issues. As a central gathering place for the community, the Center will provide ample space for cultural activities including dance, music, drama, movie nights and afford patrons a comfortable place to relax and read.
Emmanuel Bugingo, Acting Director of the National Library for the Ministry of Sports and Culture, encouraged Rwinkwavu residents "to come to this Center and make use of it.”
He went on to say that the Center is in line with the government’s plans to educate people, to increase their knowledge and encourage them to read for pleasure.
Dr. Peter Drobac, Director of Inshuti Mu Buzima/Partners In Health, spoke about the connection between health and education as the foundations of prosperity.
"Once people are healthy they ask, ‘Now what’? How am I going to have a brighter future? The answer is education,” Drobac said.
Many positive changes have been made in the education system throughout Rwanda in the past few years. The Center will expand on these efforts by offering all segments of the population in Rwinkwavu the opportunity to access resources and training to improve their lives.
With community health workers, hospital employees and other industries and businessescropping up as a result of the Hospital’s success, the need for language and computer literacy is more important than ever.
The Rwinkwavu Community Library and Learning Center will allow the community to benefit from the push to increase literacy, provide access to information and develop a culture of reading in Rwanda.