Students travel to Kigali for NABU Expo

Through our partnership with NABU, an international nonprofit that creates online libraries in native languages, REAP’s CLCL was selected to participate the launch of NABU’s iOS version of the online library.
Officials and staff from NABU joined 24 students, parents and REAP staff in a reading session to officially launch the iOS app early this month. The following week, ten students from our community traveled to the Kigali Convention Center to showcase their digital literacy in front of more than 300 people. The event was attended by the Director of Rwanda Education Board and the Director of Kigali Public Library. Students
received prizes from NABU for their brave and skillful presentation before such an intimidating audience. For most of our students, it was the first time they travel by car and their first trip to the capital.

Due to a generous donation from Leman Manhattan Preparatory School, the CLCL has 35 iPads available for the community to access this new app.

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500 Books for Our Library!

REAP is a registered member of the Rwanda Education NGOs Coordination Platform (RENCP), a national platform that brings together more that 100 educational nonprofits. As an active member of the RENCP, REAP hosted the coalition’s members, a couple of months ago. The organizations were impressed by REAP’s literacy and community development programs. To convey their support, Save the Children selected REAP out of all the organizations in Rwamagana and donated 500 Kinyarwanda (native language) storybooks to our children. In addition to the books, REAP and Save the Children will collaborate to promote the culture of reading in the Musha Community through the Mureke Dusome Project (Let’s Read Project) which aims to form, equip, train and facilitate reading clubs in the community.

READING IN ONE’S NATIVE LANGUAGE BOOSTS SELF-CONFIDENCE.

Internet for the CLCL

In July 2018, Rwanda Education Assistance Project opened a new Community Learning Center and Library in Musha, Rwanda. The CLCL offers free educational programming for children, as well as free programming for parents. Our programs encompass:

English and Kinyarwanda Literacy
Basic health services
A community garden that supports our nutrition program
A Library Server (digital encyclopedia downloaded at the time of construction)

Since opening, attendance at the CLCL has soared and we are operating at full capacity each day. REAP's goal is to provide the community with access to current information and to support positive and intentional engagement in a democratic society. Our belief is that true enrichment is obtained through equitable access to various points of view, community service (known as Umuganda), and hands-on learning.

That is why we are raising money to bring Internet access to the CLCL! Internet access will enrich learning for students and offer greater research opportunities for our teachers, and for educators at the local Duha Complex School.

Additionally, it would facilitate better communication between the REAP team in Rwanda and in the US.

This campaign is designed to raise enough money to provide the Community Learning Center and Library with three years of Internet access.

- Purchase of a router ($300)
- Installation fee ($57)
- Internet access fee ($2,400/year)
- Three laptops for use at the CLCL ($3,000)

We want to raise these funds by June 2019, and we need your help to reach our goal. Donate today!

Thank you for your commitment to Rwanda Education Assistance Project and to equitable access to education.

Families that read together...

On the International Day of Families, REAP joins the Musha community and other stakeholders - our local government, nearby schools and other educational NGOs - in celebration. REAP uses the holiday to promote literacy as a catalyst for the socio-economic development of families, and thus, of the nation at large. We use interactive components, such as storytelling, community readings, and games illustrating Rwandan proverbs, to illustrate how family literacy activities can be fun and create stronger family bonds.

This year, to build the motivation of the community and to promote the International Day of Families, REAP organized a reading and read-aloud competition. Community members came to the library to practice reading and then gathered children in their neighborhoods to read stories to them. Winners of the competition received literacy-based prizes (such as a copy of their favorite book) and were able to demonstrate their reading before the live audience on May 15.

REAP Hosts a Learning Consortium!

REAP, as a member of the Rwanda Education NGOs Coordination Platform (RENCP), was selected to host a learning visit for the other community-oriented NGOs of the coalition. Eight NGOs, including Save the Children and Wellspring Foundation, spent the day observing and learning from REAP’s stellar educational programming. 

Our Community Learning Center and Library was selected to host this consortium though we have only been open seven months! We are extremely flattered and proud of the effort that our educators pour into the programs.

Amongst other commendations, the group appreciated REAP's integrated model of community education and development as well as strong collaboration with the government and other NGOs. One of the member organizations was particularly interested in collaborating with REAP through our garden project. We are looking forward to creating a mutually beneficial relationship with another one of our neighbors and will be sure to share updates!