New Reader Portions assist in Rwanda literacy projectBy Anaclet Nsanzumuhire, Bible Society in Rwanda
KIGALI, Rwanda — The Bible Society in Rwanda has collaborated with the Strømme Foundation, a Christian organisation based in Norway, to distribute New Reader Portions (NRPs) in Kibuye province, in the south-west of the country. The NRPs are being used as an element of a literacy project designed for both children and adults. Representatives from the Foundation, who included staff and two teenage confirmation candidates chosen from among many applicants to make the trip, visited a centre in Nyagatovu in February with Bible Society staff. GratitudeThe visitors were very warmly received, and 2,349 NRPs were distributed to 1,268 children and 120 adults attending literacy classes. At a second centre, in Rwimpili, 1,566 copies were distributed to 384 children and 131 adults. Pastors at both centres expressed their gratitude to the Strømme Foundation and the Bible Society for the material, and invited the Foundation team to return to evaluate the initiative. The distribution in Kibuye province formed part of a wider project by the Strømme Foundation to supply a total of 90,000 NRPs at a cost of more than US$33,000. The funds are being made available through the SKRIK scheme, in which the Norwegian Bible Society is a partner. SKRIK, meaning ‘scream’ in Norwegian, began in 1994 among Norwegian confirmands. It is designed to encourage them to raise funds for initiatives assisting children and young people in East Africa who cannot afford to purchase biblical material. Around 7,000-8,000 confirmands participate each year, and so far more than US$800,000 has been collected, mainly through the sale of coloured candles. (WR 370/28 - 9.02) [PHOTOS] |
