Posted on October 12, 2014 by Jean Marie This is the time to express our deepest thanks for The FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEDICINE (FAMCO) donation to Rwinkwavu Community Library and Learning Center for 40 boxes library books!! Generous gift from partners like you greatly contribute to our efforts of fighting poverty of the mind and Spirit,  this is the moral support needed to continue our mission.

Maaike Flinkenflogel, Head of Family and Community Medicine Department (FAMCO) at University of Rwanda helping working together with RfR’s Jean Marie HABIMANA and other PIH staff to separate the Medical and Library books

FAMCO has a deep commitment to the community through their nurse education and health programs and in Ready for Reading’s work to empower the Rwinkwavu community through literacy, technology, and life skills, enhancing academic, social and economic opportunities. Thank you to PIH staff and the medical students to the kind help to separate these books To the FAMCO student’s who collaborated with RCLLC staff in organizing the books and to the Rwinkwavu Hospital Nurses for their Health Education Sessions at RCLLC; there is no way to fully express our gratitude for your loyalty. Providing such a gift to the community along with the FAMCO Program, will play a key role in improving heath outcomes and reducing illiteracy in the Rwinkwavu Community. We at Ready for Reading/Rwinkwavu Community Library and Learning Center  say thank you on the behalf of the community for your amazing contribution that will help  satisfy all the needs of library visitors. We look forward to our continued partnership.

Mom’s Clubs Posted on March 14, 2014 by Jean Marie Habimana Ready for Reading, is playing a significant role in the daily lives of some families in the Rwinkwavu area. The RCLLC hosts five clubs: young peace fighters, Adults club for culture and history and three clubs for moms who work together for the empowerment and development of Rwinkwavu women.The clubs  meet in the amphitheater or in one of the rooms in the RCLLC and exchange ideas,  hold seminars and work together in small craft projects, learn hairdressing techniques and grow their entrepreneurship skills. First crop ready for market                                    Mushrooms growing on RCLLC                                                                                                     grounds The club of dedicated moms who have started farming mushrooms as a cash crop are very interested in the manufacture of clothes and crafts baskets movement. This past Monday, March 24, 2014 they gathered around a trainer to teach them how to dye fabric, commonly referred to as “Ibitenge”, in bright, colorful patterns. Beautiful baskets! They spent five hours  watching and imitating the method and were very excited by the outcome.   They did two different pieces and promised themselves that they will continue to learn and practice in order to attain the ability to make beautiful fabrics to sell. The Mom’s who were present welcomed the role played by RCLLC, as  host for the clubs, not only for vocational skills training but also for the opportunity to attend Kinyarwanda and English literacy classes and to read from our library of interesting books.

 Posted on February 25, 2014 by Jean Marie Habimana The Rwinkwavu Community Library/Learning Center  in Kayonza district is playing an influential role in helping surrounding secondary schools to improve National exams performance through different opportunities for learning and skills training it provides. Surrounding Primary and Secondary School are organizing study trips and bringing the students to the RCLLC to spend time reading and practicing hands-on ICT skills training. This Tuesday 25th Feb 2014 the RCLLC received 30 students and two teachers from Groupe Scholaire Gishanda/ in Kayonza for a study visit at RCLLC.  A common obstacle for rural Primary and Secondary schools is gaining the skills to have success in National Exams to move on to secondary school.   The need for opportunities to access different resources and support what they are learning in school makes all the difference. Students Orientation The Missing Ingredient:  Alexis, one of the Groupe Scholaire teachers explains how the can overcame this challenge: “I am a teacher by profession for many years and I even try my best in my every day work to help the students to have all required help to get a good success. But our school and neighbor schools don’t have enough resources to help student ‘s conduct practice for different topics we teach theoretically.  Our schools don’t have library books,  Science and ICT Laboratories. Such opportunity to visit the Library and having a tour of all its programmings, and the information that it gives us is needed to start exploring the amazing opportunities for our students and teachers. “ The students accompanied by the two of their teachers leading the trip had a tour of the whole library by  RfR Program Manager, who explained  the programming opportunities and services. The reading habits for children to grow up as excellent readers is enhanced the through E-reader program that Ready for Reading implemented in partnership with Worldreader. Jean Marie, the ICT & E-reader Program Manager had 30 min technical session teaching how to navigate the e-reader to be able to explore over 100 different e-books and enjoy a chance to sit and read.  Everyone in Rwinkwavu sector interested in ICT is being trained through our ICT curriculum allowing them to gain computer proficiency and access to information.  Since most Rwandan rural areas lack ICT infrastructure and computers, the RCLLC  invites community members of all ages to participate in our comprehensive ICT curriculum and hands-on training. With these skills and access to global information  Rwandans, especially the young generation, are interested in taking advantage of the educational and job opportunities computer literacy makes possible.                                Jean Marie explaining different opportunities that RCLLC/ICT                                                                department offers to the community                                      The RCLLC Open Library offers different opportunities for all ages and we have many  reading activities for youth.                       Protais, the Youth Program Manager explaining some of the content of a                                                            favorite children’s book  Apart from ICT and reading services provided by Rwinkwavu Community Library, the library also offers entertainment for children. They participate in different games like basketball and mind games and puzzles that help them relax after their active days. The students enjoyed some of the kids’ games After the Rwinkwavu Community Library/Learning Center  tour the students had two hours  to visit and enjoy the library according to his/her interest in all the programming.  They immediately divided themselves into groups: One groups wanted to enjoy Open Computer Lab and another group wanted to deeply explore the library books.      Two hours of personal practice in the computer lab,  with the instruction of a teacher and RfR ICT Program Manager, enabled the students gain momentum in their acquisition of computer literacy.