{"id":21723,"date":"2015-12-08T08:35:31","date_gmt":"2015-12-08T08:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/kigali-reading-center-shares-joy-of-reading-in\/"},"modified":"2015-12-08T08:34:02","modified_gmt":"2015-12-08T08:34:02","slug":"kigali-reading-center-shares-joy-of-reading-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/kigali-reading-center-shares-joy-of-reading-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Kigali Reading Center shares \u2018joy of reading\u2019 in Rwanda"},"content":{"rendered":"

{Parfait Gasana, weekend manager of the Yale Visitor Center, went to the United States in May 2005 without knowing a word of English.}<\/p>\n

\u201cI was frustrated. No one could understand what I was saying; I was voiceless,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n

For a few months, Gasana, then 23, lived as best he could until he met Christine Alexander, founder of the literacy program New Haven Reads. She encouraged him to attend New Haven Reads meetings, and he quickly learned English by reading picture books with the children.<\/p>\n

Ten years later, he is returning the favor.<\/p>\n

An immigrant from Rwanda, Gasana decided he wanted to create a similar program for Rwandan children and founded the Kigali Reading Center in 2014. Now in its second year, the center serves approximately 100 children every week, with a second center scheduled to open by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

Gasana credits the late Alexander and New Haven Reads for his success. After learning English, he graduated from Gateway Community College and earned his B.A. in political science from the University of Connecticut, with a minor in human rights. <\/p>\n

Seeing the impact education had on his life, Gasana decided to return to Rwanda.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018What can I do to actually contribute to a sustainable Rwanda, where the devastation of the genocide not only destroyed lives but also human capital?\u2019 Two decades after [the genocide], education is now a priority, but in the years following the genocide it was not, as other issues, such as the delivery of justice, were much more pressing,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

The Rwandan genocide occurred over a 100-day period. Gasana was born in 1982 as a refugee in Burundi, as his parents had fled Rwanda a few years earlier. However, his family moved back to Rwanda when Gasana was 11 \u2014 a few months before the genocide ended as the pressure for them to leave Burundi mounted.<\/p>\n

Gasana said the instability and political strife made education difficult for many Rwandans, including himself. While the country is still recovering from the genocide, Gasana thinks Rwanda has stabilized and allows for the kind of work he and the center are now doing.<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s mission is to promote English literacy for pre-elementary and elementary schoolchildren through storytelling, a lending library, and one-on-one tutoring. While the center also serves older teenagers and adults, Gasana said the focus is on younger children between the ages of 4 and 13 \u201cto prepare them for school.\u201d With only three full-time paid staff members, the center relies on volunteers to help read to children.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny time that is given to us really is appreciated,\u201d he said. \u201cSome people give 30 minutes a week and others stop by for an hour before they leave the country. All of that is important to continuing the work we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although finding volunteers is a challenge for the center, Gasana said the biggest hurdle is raising money to support the center and especially for shipping costs. The center currently has over 6,000 books in Rwanda, mostly donations, with hundreds more in the United States. Gasana and his friends pack suitcases full of books every time they visit Rwanda, he said, but he hopes to shift to a more sustainable model in the future.<\/p>\n

The children also send letters back to donors thanking them for the books; most write that the book they received is the first book they have ever owned. The center also allows children to check out books on an honor system.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tell the children, \u2018If you take this book and read it, and then you bring it back, we\u2019ll give you another one.\u2019 The moment we mention that there will be another book given, some kids will go and bring it back within an hour so they can get another one,\u201d Gasana said, laughing.<\/p>\n

Seeing the smiles on the children\u2019s faces when they read a new book makes his work for the Kigali Reading Center so rewarding.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see there is hope in the eyes of the children just because someone cares,\u201d he said. \u201cI am where I am today because someone cared and helped me realize that I am worth something. These kids are seeing this as well, and they are enjoying it. The center has become like a home for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gasana<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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