'Imagine We' founder on child literacy

Dominique Alonga’s dream has always been to see young people attain their potential, become smarter and more informed. Her dream came true in August 2014, during the Tigo Digital Change Makers competition that aimed at supporting young social entrepreneurs that birthed Imagine We Rwanda. The 24-year-old talked to Sharon Kantengwa about the impact of her work and what she intends to achieve. You have been tirelessly promoting reading and writing culture. What has been the impact of your work over the years? We are very fortunate, my team and I, to say that we have been able to reach more than 4000 people directly and indirectly through our book donations, campaigns, competitions, social media and blogs. Dominique Alonga. Several people now have started the conversation around literacy and writing which was such a silent topic just two years ago. We are very encouraged by young people who are expressing their thoughts through the written word. I have also grown so much as a person, as I have learned so much about leadership, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. What are some of the awards that you have won and how have they impacted your life? I am the recipient of the Tigo and Reach for Change Digital Changemakers Award 2015, which jumpstarted our organisation and we are where we are today because of it. I was very encouraged by the CYRWA Award by The First Lady’s Office 2015, because I was on the verge of giving up and this was almost like the glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. I also won the WORLD BANK BLOG FOR DEVELOPMENT AWARD 2016, and I was honored to be the only Rwandan Youth to go to Washington DC in the Spring Meetings of the World Bank. We are now very closely in touch and we hope to help improve the projects designed for the youth in Rwanda. It is a privilege to have such brilliant people in my network. It encourages me and challenges me to become better. The MANDELA WASHINGTON FELLOW 2016 is the cream of the cream. I am one of the people selected by the office of President Barack Obama as a Young African Leader. It is not only children with a reading problem, why focus on them? I don’t think that the problem is actually with children. They have such an open mind, curiosity and a willingness to learn which makes it easier for us to show them new and different things. However, we would definitely want to reach out to the older audience in more direct and concrete ways. We believe that if they are with us on the boat, then, their children will have a more sustainable culture. We hope to impact all ages but we are making baby steps as of now. Oral tradition has always been African tradition, why should we instead adopt reading and writing? I don’t think it’s a pick one and leave the other situation here. I totally love the memories that are tied to the oral culture and how many families bonded and learned around such a culture for generations. I think the two cultures should complement each other. We need to be able to store our beautiful stories so that they are intact in the generations to come. I believe that our culture will survive if we preserve the oral culture but have the records through the written word. Everyone will then have access to our fables and stories for centuries to come. Internet is nowadays easily accessible even for children, should they still take the effort to read and write? There is something psychological about writing; putting your thoughts down to paper with a pen. We should be able to teach children to be innovative and creative; to use the internet to improve their literacy skills. There is such a thin line nowadays, where people could mistake online presence with literacy and being knowledgeable. I think, as Rwandans, we need to intentionally teach our children and youth to use the assets we’re given for relevant and beneficially purposes; both for ourselves and our communities. What are some of the projects that you are working on? We are so excited to announce that we have some books in the pipeline that are coming up this year and next year. We are also trying to improve our work in terms of reach, impact and sustainability. Peace Kwizera is working on a book with us and it will be amazing to see her reach so many people with her story and ideas. I am particularly excited about the Runner Up’s project. She is a brilliant soul and she will go far with her projects. Parting words I live to tell people that their lives are only going to be as wild and beautiful as their dreams. We, Rwandans, need to start dreaming extremely big. As a young person, I want to encourage my peers to keep working hard and never giving up on their stories, their struggles and their dreams. I believe that we are all being shaped in one way or another to become better leaders tomorrow. Just keep dreaming and never quit.

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'Imagine We' founder on child literacy