It was a warm and sunny day in early March when nearly 170 people gathered for Ethiopia Reads 2nd Annual Children’s Reading Summit to discuss how to best support a culture of reading in Ethiopia. Yemisrach Worku, our Country Director and the Ethiopia Reads staff brought together government officials, librarians/educators, scholars, business leaders, parents, nonprofit representatives, volunteers, authors and illustrators for an opportunity to learn and share ideas on ways to create a vision for literacy in Ethiopia.
Malcolm Clark, President of Ethiopia Reads, set a positive tone by sharing the outstanding work that Ethiopia Reads is doing related to children’s libraries, the Book Centered Learning training curriculum and the publishing and distribution of local language books. Celebrations and awards were made to LeAnn and Stan Clark for their dedication to collecting books across the U.S., to Ethiopian Airlines for their generous assistance with shipping the books, and to the Ministry of Education for their support of Ethiopia Reads.
Creative Associates International, a local collaborator of Ethiopia Reads, explained the USAID-funded initiative called “READ II”. My own presentation entitled, “The Art and Science of Reading”, included brain research on reading, elements of reading instruction and the connection to high-quality children’s books and library spaces to increase reading skills.
We heard very courageous conversations as the Ministry of Education shared the recent Early Grade Reading Assessment results that reported a dismal picture of reading achievement for children in spite of increased efforts and funding. This was evidence of a new trust and transparency in bringing to light the challenges the country has with large numbers of students learning to read and comprehend even simple texts. Ethiopia Reads’ work can help bring about needed change by providing high-quality books, library spaces for children to practice reading skills, and training for Ethiopian educators.
Jane Kurtz, co-founder of Ethiopia Reads and children’s books author, led passionate conversations about authoring and publishing. Jane shared personal stories regarding the extreme challenges of authoring and illustrating children’s books in a country with a weak publishing/distribution pipeline. However difficult these conversations were, they were met with respect for the power of collaborative effort and the acknowledgement that no ONE policy or body will solve this problem easily or alone.
The summit was a great success – an honest interchange of what is and what should be. Children should have access to books. Children should be taught how to read them. Children and communities need spaces to read, safe spaces to practice their reading and celebrate the empowerment literacy can bring.
Visiting the Ethiopia Reads office the day following the summit was a “coming home” for me. I have met with the staff in this space over the past several years for training events. I felt welcomed among friends. Sharing in a coffee ceremony at the office, meeting the new Gebeta librarian and watching the staff pour over newly arrived Ready, Set, Go books* was a perfect way to celebrate the success of the summit.
The Ethiopia Reads staff is a dynamic, passionate group of young people who work hard and accomplish much with limited resources. Their dedication to their work shows in everything they do. They inspire me and I feel blessed to be able to join them in this work.
Ethiopia Reads work continues despite the uncertainty from the global Covid-19 pandemic. With so many people living closely together and with limited health and economic resources, we fear the virus may spread rapidly in Ethiopia. The staff, Board and Book Centered Learning Committee are working from home continuing to plan so when we emerge from this pandemic, Ethiopia Reads libraries, offices, and programs can reopen quickly.
The Reading Summit would not have been possible without the support of all those who contributed to Carol Settgast’s GoFundMe, our monthly and longstanding donors. Many thanks for your ongoing generosity!
It will be a difficult year for nonprofits like Ethiopia Reads trying to do vital long-term work far from home. As was said at the conference, “We can’t clap with one hand” – Ethiopia Reads NEEDS YOU!
Laurie Curtis, Board Member
Chair of ER’s Book Centered Learning Committee
*Created by the Open Hearts Big Dreams Funds
