What a whirlwind! This was our first year participating in LitWorld’s World Read Aloud Day, and we decided to visit each of the five schools in the Rwinkwavu area.

Rwandan pop star Shanel volunteered her time for the day to read to the students in Rwinkwavu. The kids were extremely excited for Shanel’s visit and as we approached each school children standing along the side of the road were screaming, “Miss Shanel, Miss Shanel” eager for her to look their way.

We chose a Kinyarwanda story from Bakame, a local publisher, called Kageni by Augusitini Gasake and illustrated by Feligisi Seminega. The kids were captivated by the story and it was incredible to watch the sea of happy faces turn like dominos to see the pictures. At one point in the story, a bird sings “zwi, zwi, zwi” and the children had so much fun tweeting along.

The students and teachers at Nkondo One were well prepared for our visit. We were escorted into the school’s beautiful courtyard. All of the students marched in and sat under the trees for story time. Four of the students had prepared an English story to read to Shanel. They proudly stood in front of their classmates and took turns reading.

At each of the schools the teachers thanked us and said that it was so nice for the students. Inevitably, the conversion would result in the teachers asking for more books. It was fantastic to be able to tell them that in one year we will have a library full of books along with boxes of books to lend to each of their schools. What a great day!

We were thrilled to share in the excitement of Rwinkwavu residents who gathered along with our Partners In Health family, the Ministry of Sports and Culture and other local officials and community leaders on February 7th to celebrate the ground breaking for the Rwinkwavu Community Library and Learning Center. It was a warm but thankfully breezy day.  We set up chairs and a PA system to the left of what will be the main entrance, under the welcome canopy of an Umuvumu tree, which in Rwanda, is considered a symbol of healing and peace.  What a wonderful spot it will be for a bench, providing a shady outdoor space to read on the library grounds. Speaking at the event, Emmanuel Bugingo, Director of the National Library and Public Reading 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 Partners In Health in Rwanda, 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.” As we scooped up shovelfuls of red earth, cheers and applause went up from the crowd.  Curious children inched closer, looking on from the front edges and people walking by on the main road wandered up the path to see what all the fuss was about. At the close of the ceremony, with a sweeping view of the Rwinkwavu valley as a backdrop, we were treated to the beautiful music and dancing of a local dance troupe and we joined in with our less rhythmic but just as joyous style. The 7800 square foot Center will open its doors in approximately a year. The construction fence and shed and other site preparations are in the process of being set up.  We’ll have some photos soon and will continue to keep you posted as there is more to report. Attached are links to the press release that appeared in the Partners In Health, March 2011 e-Newsletter and in The New Times, the most largely circulated daily newspaper in Rwanda. Breaking ground on a new library and community learning center in Rwanda. http://newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14569&article=6085&week=8.