USAID supports Equitable Opportunities for all Children to Read and Learn in the Community

By The Inspirer writer.

USAID’s Mureke Dusome activity is ensuring that parents of children with disabilities are equipped with knowledge and skills to support their children’s learning and development at home and in the community.

Since 2016, USAID Mureke Dusome has established community reading clubs and worked with local administrators to organize reading festivals and other literacy promotion activities across the country.

Reading at least 15 minutes a day outside of school supports achievement in school as well as lifelong learning. This initiative has benefited more than a million children to date.

However, monitoring reports in 2019 showed that less than 1% of the children attending reading clubs were children with disabilities.

Children with disabilities require opportunities to practice reading in order to reach their full potential. When people with disabilities are able to participate fully in society, the development of the country will benefit from their unique skills and perspectives.

In 2020, USAID Mureke Dusome initiated a targeted effort to increase the number of children with disabilities who are supported to read at home and in the community.

The implementing organization, Save the Children, partnered with a local organization of persons with disabilities, Uwezo Youth Empowerment.

USAID Mureke Dusome, with Uwezo, trained 718 Community Education Workers about the inclusion of children with disabilities, as well as 137 Youth Volunteers with Disabilities.

The Youth Volunteers with Disabilities facilitate parent reading awareness workshops and visit homes to help parents of children with disabilities reduce stigma and acquire practical knowledge and skills to support their children to learn and read at home.

The initiative is focused on 5 pilot districts: Burera, Ngororero, Ruhango, Gasabo and Kirehe.

The aim of today’s virtual learning event is to reflect on best practices and lessons learned during the implementation of USAID Mureke Dusome inclusion activities.

USAID Mureke Dusome organized the event in partnership with the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), the Ministry of Local Government, and the Ministry of Education, bringing together national and local officials, local and International NGOs and Civil Society.

USAID Mureke Dusome’s Chief of Party, Solange Umwizerwa, said, “Our aim is to ensure that girls and boys, with or without disability, have equal opportunity to read and learn at home, with support from parents in particular and the community in general. We aim to ensure that no child is left behind by removing any barrier limiting the participation of children with disabilities in learning activities.”

Bahati Satir Omar, the Executive Director of Uwezo Youth Empowerment, reiterated the importance of Youth with Disability Volunteers to ensure children with disabilities are supported to learn and read at home and in the community.

“When parents are coached by facilitators who themselves have disabilities, they are inspired to see their own child’s potential.”

The learning event is in line with Rwanda’s Special Needs and Inclusive Education Policy, which indicates the Government of Rwanda’s commitment to provide support services at home and in the communities for learners with Special Education Needs for schooling and development.