APPROACHES TO STRENGTHEN SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS IN RWANDA - March 24th 2021 - USAID
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APPROACHES TO STRENGTHEN SUPPLY
AND DEMAND FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS
IN RWANDA
MUREKE DUSOME Activity
March 24th 2021
1
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Save the Children has been
strategically layering literacy
projects to increase a culture
of reading in Rwanda since
2013, including:
• DFID-funded Rwanda
Children’s Book
Initiative (RCBI) 2013-
Rwanda 2016
Children’s
Book Initiative USAID- School For • First Read (2013- 2015)
REACH- ACR
funded Change funded Reading UnrestrICTed
Mureke • Comic Relief funded
Ready Challenge
First Read Dusome Literacy Boost (LB)
2013-2017
Literacy Boost
• USAID-funded Mureke
Dusome 2016-2021
• IKEA-funded School
For Change ( 2018-
2021)
• REACH-funded Reading
Ready (2019-2021)
• ACR UnrestrcICTed
Challenge (2021-2023)
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ( CONT.)
Sustain capacity
strengthening for
school leadership
to promote school-
Overview of Mureke community
partnerships and
Dusome Activity ( 2016- improve student
literacy
2021)
Sustain increased Improve Promote equity in
literacy work, with
effective community Literacy a focus on gender
and parental
involvement to Outcomes empowerment and
the inclusion of
improve literacy for P1-P3 children with
skills
Learners disabilities.
Mureke Dusome is a
USAID activity that aims to
foster partnerships between
schools and the broader Sustain
Improvements to
community in a bid to improve the Culture of
P1-P3 students’ literacy Reading
outcomes.
3
Mureke Dusome’s Book Chain’s Theory of Change
The Challenge The Barriers The Impact
The Actions
07/09/2021 11:35 4
TRAININGS AND MENTORSHIP PROVIDED TO BOOK SECTOR
ACTORS
• Organized writers’, illustrators’,
designers’, publishers’ workshops
• Leveraged SC global
partnerships to engage
internationally recognized publishing
sector actors to train, coach and
mentor publishers:
• Penguin Random House
• Leslie Patricelli, • Engaged gender & disability
experts
• Terry, etc
• Promoted home-grown
mentorship/coaching by in-
country first professional children’s
book editors
TRAININGS AND MENTORSHIP TO THE BOOK SECTOR ACTORS –
CONT.
Results
Increased production of
high quality, age
appropriate, more
inclusive children’s books
Improved professionalism,
motivation, and better
sustainable mechanisms among
local publishing sector actors
Increased
exposure to local
and international
markets
PROMOTING PROFESSIONAL SYSTEMS
Supply:
• Meet and Greet events permitted writers and
illustrators to pitch their stories to publishers
and enhance their collaboration
• Abana Writer’s Café brought together young
writers and other professionally experienced
writers to discuss newly written stories, give
feedback, and meet publishers in and outside
Kigali
Demand:
• Book exhibitions targeted potential buyers
like book sellers, NGOs, schools, community
libraries, & the general public,
• Book Talks organized by publishers attracted
parents and other potential buyers
• Both contributed to more people
(parents, organizations, etc) buying books
for children (i.e. increased access)
STIMULATING THE DEMAND
Campaigns:
Gira Igitabo Aho Uri Campaign
Chocolate Book Campaign
Regular media collaborations
RCBO Conferences
Book Fairs
National Book Exhibitions organized by the
Ministry of Youth and Culture in collaboration
with the Ministry of Education with support
from Save the Children
National Bibliography
Book talks
Media campaign
Book Launches
READING MATERIALS DISTRIBUTION
From procurement to distribution
Classroom-
based
REB book
Framework review ,
Expression final
contract
of Interest samples Book
with local Quality
with clear approval procurement Sorting,
publishers/ check of
requiremen and received Packing,
Advance warehouse Distribution
ts and Non- books
market management
expectation classroom
commitme
s based
nt
SC book
samples
review and
signing
9
DISTRIBUTION OUTLETS
Schools, Reading Clubs and Communities Libraries
Community Child
Booksellers Reading Clubs Safeguarding
Libraries
• From 1 bookshop to 6 • More than 430494 age • Train 67 librarians on • Train book distributors on
bookshops selling locally appropriate book use and child safeguarding during
made children’s books Kinyarwanda management, conducting distribution process;
• Community booksellers storybooks to reading children’s reading
• Book case sellers clubs established in all activities; • Avoid having children
partnerships with local 30 districts. involved in distribution
publishers • Partnerships between • 23,000 Kinyarwanda activities
• Community book selling schools and story books distributed
points communities to 44 community
libraries
10MONITORING BOTH THE DEMAND AND
SUPPLY
Children’s Readership Preferences Improvement in content, topics, characters,
Study, 2016 Fiction/non fiction, urban/rural setting, etc
More production of books with girls and children
Gender and disability representation
with disabilities as main characters and well
in children’s books study
portrayed in stories, braille books.
Regular book inventory & updating Filling missing contents/ topics cataloguing more than
book catalogue 1500 titles of children’s books
Distribution of children’ story books in the
Community Libraries’ Needs Assessment
local language, training of librarians on
by the Ministry of Education, 2019
organizing children’s reading activities
Improve illustrations, design, paper quality, use of
Regular monitoring of the use of books
colors, diversity ( topics, genres, formats, children’s
through observations and surveys books, magazines, chapter books, etc)GENDER INCLUSION
• Curriculum and training
• Provision of materials to female
illustrators, promote equity in
illustrating workshop
• He4She approach
• 2019 social media campaign for
women in publishing
• Women in publishing meeting with
the Director of Mission
• Book evaluation criteria
• Challenges: resistance to boys and
men representation in storytelling,
gender vs sexuality; reproductive vs
productive; resistance to
transformative approach
07/09/2021 11:35 12DISABLITY INCLUSION
• Braille
• Partnerships
• Disability representation in
children's books
• Book evaluation
• Challenges: local capacity and
infrastructures
07/09/2021 11:35 13COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
• Teachers writing groups
• AWCs
• Book selling points through
business-community
partnerships
• Reading events
• Book review meetings (via RR)
• Challenges: quality assurance
07/09/2021 11:35 14CHILD PARTICIPATION
• Campaigns
• Writing
• Readership Preferences Study
• RCBO awards most favorite
book
• Abana Writers Café with Sankofa
Creatives
• Reading Competitions
• Challenges: budgeting
07/09/2021 11:35 15CHALLENGES
Writers, illustrators, and publishers do not have access to quality raw materials to
make high quality children’s books
The underdeveloped printing industry and the high costs of paper lead to high costs of
children’s books (economies of scale)
Underdeveloped culture of reading/reading market due to uncoordinated policies and
EGR activities, lack of awareness, and low appreciation of local languages
Children’s book makers and partners do not have sufficient skills, infrastructures, and
access to affordable resources to make accessible children’s books (Braille)
The increasing children’s reading demand cannot be satisfied by one EGR activity
Step back caused by COVID19
07/09/2021 11:35 16LESSONS LEARNED
• Campaigning together with government ( different ministries: MYCULTURE,
MINEDUC, MINALOC, KPL, etc) is very key to sustain a culture of reading;
• Partnerships among book sector actors and other stakeholders strengthens
the voice in the publishing industry;
• Working with existing structures including community libraries and increasing
community participation are keys to sustain children’s access to reading
materials in their local community;
• The engagement of experts in specific topics ( disability inclusion, gender,
etc) is key to ensure quality and proper representation;
• Diversity of materials ( topics, formats, story books, children’s magazine, etc)
is a foundation to increase the love for reading;
26 April 2016 17COVID 19 RESPONSE: LESSONS LEARNED
Resilience and capacity to adapt to the
ongoing health crisis
• The COVID-19 crisis has served as a
wake-up call to publishers in adopting
digital solutions.
• A strong reliance on schools was
damaging.
• Children’s book prices will likely
increase.
• Preparing for future opportunities.
Impact on literacy programs
• Quality of books vs. Pricing
• New needs require new solutions
• Procurement
07/09/2021 11:35 18SUSTAINABILITY
Advocacy and Government Engagement:
Advisory support on new book initiatives such as the annual National Book Exhibition
Advisory and technical support on revising existing activities such as community libraries management
Government officials involvement in the Book Review Committee
Provided technical support to the government of Rwanda to develop a National Book Policy that supports the local publishing
industry (in progress).
Partnership with other relevant government institutions and existing structures: Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB); Kigali Public
Library; Community Libraries ; Ministry of Youth and Culture & Ministry of Education
Private Sector Engagement:
• A local publishing sector active in promoting a culture of reading and collaborating with the government and partners to improve early
grade reading efforts.
• Established professional organizations such as RCBO, Arise Education and Sankofa Creatives seeking to sustain a production of high
quality, age-appropriate children’s books and children’s magazines ( Karame magazine);
• Integrated new technologies to enhance reading experiences through open source platforms and other relevant channels using
audiobooks, e-books, and more materials;
Global collaborations
• Growing collaborations with ADEA and Global Book Alliance started with Mureke Dusome; now the collaborations have extended to
open licensed levelled books and advocacy on national book and reading policiesPROMOTING SUSTAINABLE NETWORKS
To ensure publishing sector actors maintain a sustainable business
model for high quality children’s books, networking is key:
International Book Fairs
• ADEA/Global Book Alliance Workshop for African Publishers in Abidjan in
January 2018 and Kigali in December 2019
• Frankfurt Book Fairs
• Bologna Children’s Book Fair
• Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair in November 2018
Rwanda Children’s Book Organization (RCBO):
A publishing collaborative which currently consists of 17 local
publishers.
Support to RCBO’s organizational development led the organization
to find partnerships with government institutions, NGOs, and foreign
institutions
Karame Magazine publication
Product and services diversification and digitization
Through Mureke Dusome’s mentoring support, local publishers
produced their first digital and accessible books. A strategy that proved
crucial since the outbreak of COVID19.
Increased publishing sector role in advocacy effortsBuilding on Mureke Dusome’s Book Chain Work
REACH-Reading Ready Project Continued collaborations with
with World Bank Rwanda All Children Reading other COs and partners
UnrestrICTed Challenge with
eKitabu Support in building the Senegal Children’s
Improving Book Development, Book Book Initiative
Access and Book Use in Rwanda with
Provide children with disabilities with literacy, Collaboration with the Global Book Alliance
Results-based Financing Approach language and learning support grounded in and ADEA on national book and reading
Open licensed materials in Kinyarwanda Universal Design for Learning at home and at policies in Africa
and English in collaboration with local school.
Digital accessible levelled and library children’s Improved book availability, access,
publishers distribution, and use through EdTech
books
Collaboration with Global Digital Library Collaboration with local publishers Replicate the approach to strengthen the toy
Strengthening digital book use by Intervention in schools, communities, and homes supply chain to support ECD programs
community librarians and parents
26 April 2016 2122
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