Help Kigali Kids (Deanne Reynolds) - Rwanda

Project Goal: $21,090

Current Progress: $12,350 (59.00%)

HELP KIGALI KIDS

Help Kigali Kids was formed in December 2023 to provide the children throughout the villages of Kigali the books and supplies that they need to learn to read English.

WHY?

In 2008, Rwanda changed the country's official language from French to English, and the entire education system was changed overnight.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

Primary and secondary teachers do not have the training or resources they need to teach English.
Classrooms are overcrowded - with an average of 62 students to every teacher.
Primary students lack the skills they need to learn English, score low in literacy exams and subsequently are not set up to succeed in secondary school or beyond.
Girls are more likely to drop out of school early, and are also under-enrolled in technical, vocational and tertiary education.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT?

To learn English, many children travel to village “reading centers” after school and on weekends, working with volunteers to learn how to read and write in English.

These reading centers are either outside on a sidewalk, under a tree, or in a one room classroom with no electricity, no water, no bathroom.

WHY ARE BOOKS AND ENGLISH IMPORTANT?

By providing one textbook to every student in a classroom, literacy scores increase by 5-20 percent!

By the end of the 21^st century, half of the world’s population under 18 will be in Africa (confirmed by the UNICEF Generation 2030: Africa Study).
English proficiency opens education and employment opportunities, providing a way to break the cycle of poverty.
Children and youth who learn to read are healthier, more self-sufficient, can earn a better living and have more opportunities to become productive members of their societies.

WHERE WILL THE BOOKS GO?

The books and supplies will fill the reading centers throughout the villages. In addition, secondary and post-secondary books will fill a new library and mentor, training and career center through our partnership with the Africa Center for Careers.

WHAT IS THE COST? $21,000

The quote for a container of books from Books for Africa varies by country, as well as by the type of shipment requested (to the port only, or directly to the village).

$11,000 is the minimum required to fund a full shipment of books from our warehouse to major seaports in Africa.
The cost above does not include fees for Customs, trucking, duties, tax, or any extra items. Full service shipments have much higher fundraising goals.
Detail regarding the additional fees are listed below:

The shipment is door-to-door to an inland destination, involving inland trucking and the hiring of a customs broker for clearance
The shipment has the cost of duties and taxes wrapped into the fundraising goal
The shipment is of postsecondary books and therefore carries a postsecondary surcharge
The shipment includes the purchase of extras such as map libraries and agriculture libraries

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Deanne

Contact: Deanne Casari Reynolds, deanne.casari@optum.com