Arise Education tightens fight against Poor reading Culture in Rwanda
It is hard to find precise statistics about the status of book reading in Rwanda; however experts say that the number is still low.
In 2017, Arise Education, through its initiative known as GIRA IGITABO AHO URI HOSE, launched a campaign to sensitize a big number of Rwandans with the objective of increasing the reading culture among citizens wherever they are.
Mutesi Gasana, the managing director of Arise Education, says that the hindrance to reading culture in Rwanda is due to the fact that many of books found in the country are in foreign languages.
“People miss the sweetness coming from reading just because of the language which is not favorable to feel that taste” says Mutesi.
On October 4th, 2018, during the last stage of countrywide tours, Arise Education in partnership with the Southern Province officials distributed books in buses in Nyanza bus station.
The Governor of Southern Province, Mrs. Mureshyankwano Marie Rose, praised the initiative as it will help Rwandans to increase their knowledge.
“Spreading books to people will help in promoting the culture of reading and Rwandans will gain knowledge.” Mureshyankwano declared.
Throughout the campaign Arise Education used the writing competition among young students, where they write short stories and they edit them to be published.
Mutesi commended the role of leaders in promoting the reading culture; however, she noted “It will be better when all leaders across the country take this initiative as their own.”
“Our leaders are our role models. What they do, we shall do it also. So once they read books, people will follow their way.”
More than one hundred thousand books have been distributed in four provinces and the City of Kigali.
Arise Education plans to spread books in different supermarkets so that it will be easy for everyone to purchase a book in her/his convenient time.
