{{Rwanda is one of two countries selected to present at the International Literacy Day event, co-hosted by USAID, the Global Partnership for Education, and the Brookings Institute.}}

The Rwanda delegation will include a Rwanda Education Board (REB) representative as well as the Literacy, Language, and Learning Initiative (L3)’s Technical Director Norma Evans and Kinyarwanda Team Leader Caroline Dusabe. The event will take place on September 7th in Washington, DC.

Rwanda Reads, a four-year REB initiative, is among the efforts that the delegation will highlight in the presentation.

Launched in July, Rwanda Reads brings together government organizations, publishers, Parent Teacher Committees, education NGOs, and development partners in the common interest of promoting literacy.

The initiative aims to increase the availability of recreational reading materials, improve literacy levels, and encourage a culture of reading.

The delegation will particularly emphasize initiatives that promote early grade reading—the focus of the event—as the early years are key for developing fundamental reading skills necessary for further learning.

Rwanda Reads partner L3, funded by USAID, focuses on supporting the teaching and learning of reading skills in primary grades 1 through 4.

L3 has supported REB in determining national reading standards for P3 and P5 and in specifying criteria for age-appropriate reading materials.

The project also provides expertise for training teachers in effective literacy practices and creates learning materials to support and enrich curricula.

According to Evans, Rwanda was selected for this honor because of its dedication.

“There have been a lot of events in the past year, like Rwanda Reads, developing reading standards, that show a lot of commitment,” Evans says. “It’s a model for other countries.”

Prior to this event, the delegation will visit Oyster Adams Bilingual School in Washington, DC, which uses both English and Spanish as languages of instruction.

This visit will leave the delegation with a clearer mental image of what proven literacy techniques look like in the classroom.

The delegation has also been invited to participate in the Mobile Education Alliance International Symposium, which aims to bring international technology specialists together to improve education through the innovative use of mobile technologies.

The symposium will be held in Washington on September 5-6th.

International Literacy Day was inaugurated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1967.

In its annual observance, literacy partners around the world draw attention to the need to promote world literacy.