HELP PROVIDE 500 BOOKS FOR 500 CHILDREN IN BURUNDI

SUPPORT OUR $6000 CAMPAIGN TO PRINT AND DISTRIBUTE 500 BOOKS FOR 500 CHILDREN ACROSS BURUNDI

 

Of all the libraries in Burundi, less than 10% are dedicated to children. Not only are there no adequate libraries, but quality books are in short supply. As a result, the culture of reading among young Burundians is barely present.

 

Ragi (heritage in Kirundi) is a project launched by Gretta Flora Irakoze in 2020, as she developed and facilitated educational reading sessions for vulnerable children. Without a library or books, she collected stories and created other original stories with the conviction that children and young people should be equipped from an early age with life and entrepreneurial skills to play an active role in the development of their country. Some of these skills are not available in the traditional curriculum.

 

Creating well-adapted and contextualized reading tools is one of the ways she has found to empower and support young people as future agents of change. The topics she covers include entrepreneurship, mental health, and civic education. What's more, her writing is imbued with a devoted love of her culture. "We learn best when we can relate to the stories being shared," she says. In 2023, the young Burundian author has completed her first book, Rusararubenga, the first in a trilingual collection called Terlingo. Rusararubenga is an adaptation of an old Burundian tale written in three languages, Kirundi, French and English, in the same book. Values such as self-esteem and women's rights are reflected in the book. The book shows Burundian tradition and cultural values, and how they affect women's rights. She plans to organize further reading sessions and set up reading clubs in various schools to revive the reading culture among young people, which is fast being lost. With over five years' experience in the education sector, she will set up interactive reading sessions to ensure that children are fully motivated. In the hope of making books accessible to at least 50% of schools nationwide, as well as other educational institutions and libraries, we are seeking your support.

 

Like any project, this activity involves significant costs (printing, launch, distribution, etc.). With the funds, we plan to do the following:

$5000 for printing 500 copies of the book

$500 for distribution the books across the country

$500 to organize reading events and set up reading clubs for children throughout the country in at least 10 schools.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT OUR SOCIAL PLATFORMS:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/HarabayeBookstore

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ragi_burundi/