Miles to go before I read

Children in Rwinkwavu, Rwanda, have access to e-readers at their community library, thanks to a charity. Photo:

Worldreader

The first children you see are working away in the fields of potato-like cassavas or filling

plastic cans with water from the pump to carry home.

But inside the local library in this town in Rwanda, Africa, you can find e-readers, Wi-Fi,

smartphones and digital books galore. They stock everything from British classical fiction

to Italian poetry to Russian novels.

A 2.5-Mile Hike To The Library

John Kanyambo is 12 and has his nose buried in a digital book – an easy reader called

"Come and Play." His English is getting better. Previous generations have been ill-served

by a lack of physical books, but John has more than 150 digital titles to choose from.

“We like to come to the library because there are many new ideas in each book,” he says.

His friend Dany Tuyizere, also 12, shyly agrees. “I like to come because I learn more new

words.”

When the reading session is over, it is time to walk home. For John, that is a 2.5-mile hike

through the fields. He does not mind. He enjoys books so much that he does the two-hour

round trip almost every day.

By Mark Rice-Oxley, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.11.16

Word Count 691

That is the new way of life in modern Africa. New digital inventions are celebrated every

day. But much of society still has not experienced an agricultural revolution, let alone a

technological one.

Bananas In One Hand, Cell Phones In The Other

Rwinkwavu is a good example. A community of 30,000 people, it is home to poor farmers

who wheel bikes with green bananas with one hand while holding cell phones with basic

Internet in the other.

They work in the fields during the day. In the evenings and on weekends, they head to the

library for its e-reading programs.

The e-readers were donated by worldreader.com, a Barcelona-based charity. There are

books already on the e-readers, and another 5,000 titles available for download to basic

cell phones.

So, for example, when news of the Zika virus in Brazil started to scare many residents,

people were able to instantly read about the virus.

"People Can Access It And Feel Empowered"

“The culture of reading is really low across Rwanda, but this is free. So people can access

it and feel empowered,” says Jean-Marie Habimana, a local staffer for the Ready for

Reading charity. She helped build the library and set up the programs it offers.

Habimana and her coworker, Emmanuel Ndayambaje, say adults are suddenly capable of

so much more – from opening bank accounts to understanding contracts and the

opportunities of the wider world.

“Some adults who attended our classes are now much more confident — able to write

bank checks and understand banking, able to write letters and apply quickly for jobs,”

Ndayambaje says.

Betsy Dickey is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization behind the

library, Ready for Reading. She says that at first people were unsure of something they did

not really understand.

“People were intimidated,” she says. “Then you see a neighbor who’s now literate and can

run a business. Now the whole community has embraced the opportunities available.

Women come to the library and want literacy and bring their children, too.”

Digital Books Reach More Than 100,000 Children

The Rwinkwavu project is by no means unusual in Africa. Worldreader says it is channeling

its digital books into hundreds of schools and libraries in 14 countries in sub-Saharan

Africa, reaching more than 100,000 children thanks to partnerships with more than 350

publishers. New projects for the African countries of Cameroon and Namibia are in the

pipeline.

Worldreader co-founder Colin McElwee says that of course there are obstacles to

operations – the lack of availability of books in local languages is one, as is patchy

connectivity in some places.

"Africa Needs Education" To Start Closing The Gaps

But he is encouraged by the rapid improvements in the technology since worldreader was

launched six years ago. The majority of readers, he says, are boys, but girls are far more

devoted, he says.

“We want to get people reading and enjoying it,” he says. “There is massive inequality in

the world. Africa needs education at scale to start closing the gaps.”

Quiz

1 Read the section "A 2.5-Mile Hike To The Library." According to the article, digital books offer

children a learning opportunity that they did not have access to earlier.

Which paragraph from the section BEST supports this claim?

2 Read the section "People Can Access It And Feel Empowered."

Which answer choice BEST explains how e-reading programs enable Rwandans to make

positive changes in their lives?

(A) “The culture of reading is really low across Rwanda, but this is free. So

people can access it and feel empowered,” says Jean-Marie Habimana, a

local staffer for the Ready for Reading charity. She helped build the library

and set up the programs it offers.

(B) Habimana and her coworker, Emmanuel Ndayambaje, say adults are

suddenly capable of so much more – from opening bank accounts to

understanding contracts and the opportunities of the wider world.

(C) Betsy Dickey is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit

organization behind the library, Ready for Reading. She says that at first

people were unsure of something they did not really understand.

(D) “People were intimidated,” she says. “Then you see a neighbor who’s now

literate and can run a business. Now the whole community has embraced

the opportunities available. Women come to the library and want literacy and

bring their children, too.”

3 Based on the article, which of the following MOST persuades adults to use e-reading

programs to build reading skills?

(A) social pressure

(B) support of library staff

(C) neighbors' success

(D) fear of heath issues

4 Based on the article, Colin McElwee would be MOST likely to agree with which of the following

statements?

(A) Improving literacy and reading skills will help to address the problem of

inequality.

(B) Improved access to technology in Africa benefits girls more than boys.

(C) Connectivity is less of a problem than the number of local languages in

Africa.

(D) E-reader programs ensure that more Africans will learn to enjoy reading .

Answer Key

1 Read the section "A 2.5-Mile Hike To The Library." According to the article, digital books offer

children a learning opportunity that they did not have access to earlier.

Which paragraph from the section BEST supports this claim?

Paragraph 2:

John Kanyambo is 12 and has his nose buried in a digital book – an easy reader

called "Come and Play." His English is getting better. Previous generations have

been ill-served by a lack of physical books, but John has more than 150 digital

titles to choose from.

2 Read the section "People Can Access It And Feel Empowered."

Which answer choice BEST explains how e-reading programs enable Rwandans to make

positive changes in their lives?

(A) “The culture of reading is really low across Rwanda, but this is free. So

people can access it and feel empowered,” says Jean-Marie Habimana, a

local staffer for the Ready for Reading charity. She helped build the library

and set up the programs it offers.

(B) Habimana and her coworker, Emmanuel Ndayambaje, say adults are

suddenly capable of so much more – from opening bank accounts to

understanding contracts and the opportunities of the wider world.

(C) Betsy Dickey is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit

organization behind the library, Ready for Reading. She says that at first

people were unsure of something they did not really understand.

(D) “People were intimidated,” she says. “Then you see a neighbor who’s now

literate and can run a business. Now the whole community has embraced

the opportunities available. Women come to the library and want literacy and

bring their children, too.”

3 Based on the article, which of the following MOST persuades adults to use e-reading

programs to build reading skills?

(A) social pressure

(B) support of library staff

(C) neighbors' success

(D) fear of heath issues

4 Based on the article, Colin McElwee would be MOST likely to agree with which of the following

statements?

(A) Improving literacy and reading skills will help to address the problem of

inequality.

(B) Improved access to technology in Africa benefits girls more than boys.

(C) Connectivity is less of a problem than the number of local languages in

Africa.

(D) E-reader programs ensure that more Africans will learn to enjoy reading .