Parents and guardians have been urged to improve home literacy environments that help promote the reading culture among children at an early age as they improve their learning. Dez Byamukama, Chief of Party, USAID Uburezi Iwacu Activity, said there should be promotion of ownership and involvement of parents in co-creating literacy environments, programs and how they are run. “It’s critical to involve the parents or caregivers at the centre of literacy processes and empower both literate and non-literate ones to support their children’s literacy development.” Byamukama made these remarks during the launch of the National Literacy Month in Munini sector, Nyaruguru district. Nelson Mbarushimana, Director General of Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB), who graced this event also urged parents to play a role and get involved in helping children to nurture a culture of reading. Addressing the audience, Mbarushimana appreciated the current efforts to complement the government’s programs to improve and make literacy spaces inclusive and accessible for all. However, he pointed out that, “There is still a long way to go and I urge writers to cooperate with REB for better guidance in writing books to increase the number of books related to the competence-based curriculum.” As an emphasis, Rwanda also rolled out a month-long campaign to promote literacy as a critical skill in foundational learning. The program is organised by Soma Rwanda Network as an initiative of the Ministry of Education and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and it will be held under the theme: Spaces for Reading. In his remarks, Aliou Tall, USAID Director for Education commended the Government of Rwanda for prioritising basic education and pledged continued support to improve learning outcomes that are aligned with the USAID program to catalyse local knowledge and learning systems. Patrick Musafiri, from Soma Rwanda Secretariat, elaborated on the umbrella’s various projects aimed at promoting literacy including Tunoze Gusoma (Schools and Systems) and Uburezi Iwacu (Homes and Communities) among other partners. He called for joint efforts to embrace the reading culture even in the community by creating community-based reading places among other majors. Furthermore, Musafiri disclosed that various activities will be conducted by partners in different districts such as the distribution of learning materials and webinars on inclusive community libraries, reading clubs in schools, and digital spaces for sharing knowledge and learning among others. Uburezi Iwacu activity, funded by USAID, and mainly implemented by World Vision is one of the projects contributing to ensuring that all children have literacy-supportive, stimulating, and safe home and community environments to enhance their education. The project is achieving this through improving home literacy environments and learning opportunities for children with disabilities and increasing community engagement in promoting children’s literacy. World Vision Rwanda is partnering with other stakeholders such as Imbuto Foundation, Humanity and Inclusion in the implementation of Uburezi Iwacu activity. According to a UNICEF study, only one parent in five parents engages in learning activities yet more than half of the children are left home alone or in the care of siblings. The day was marked with the visit of a set of activities promoting awareness of diverse literacy learning spaces organised in a model village. The visit, which included a series of literacy awareness activities, was conducted in a model nursery school where they participated in a read-aloud session with nursery pupils. They also visited a model community library and later toured a school library and smart classroom with pupils taking part in an IT learning session, as well as a visit to a mini exhibition of learning materials and resources by different partners.
