Did you know that reading to hospitalized patients has lot of benefits? Here are the three of them:

1. Reading to a hospitalized patient reduces the anxiety he/she feels when facing the doctor

2. Reading to a hospitalized patient creates a distraction or a room to escape the reality of the treatment or procedure they are facing.

3. Reading to hospitalized patients bring hope and the taste of life back to those who are hospitalized for a long time.

Ready for Reading, in partnership with Rwinkwavu Hospital, is taking the power of literacy and story to the hospitalized community!

Agriculture is an historical mainstay of Rwanda’s economy, with 70% of the population currently earning their livelihoods in the sector and contributing about a third of GDP. Yet a big percentage of the farmers in Rwanda are still doing subsistence agriculture which keeps us among the ten top countries with high food inflation worldwide. With our long-term partner @litworld, we are reading, we are learning, we are practicing —We are educating mothers from our LitClub program to practice sustainable modern agricultural techniques, which will enable them to secure a safe and nutritious food supply for their families. Further, it will help them gain skills to create additional income through selling surplus produce at local markets. The benefits and implications of this initiative are far-reaching, as it will contribute towards improving the health outcomes of these families and their neighbors, increasing literacy levels, strengthening economic security, and even reducing gender disparities within rural villages where Rwinkwavu Library resides. Stay tuned- More Updates to come.

On November 14, World Diabetes Awareness Day, Ready for Reading kicked off our non-communicable disease series, devoting the week to educating people about Diabetes, the behavior that causes it and how a healthy lifestyle reduces the risk factors associated with the disease.

According to the World Health Organization diabetes and other non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic lung disease and asthma are the leading cause of deaths world-wide; closely associated with poverty and disproportionately affecting those in poorer communities. 

Covid highlighted how critical the link is between literacy and health. In rural areas like Rwinkwavu, it’s a challenge to counter long-entrenched beliefs and rumors that circulate around chronic illnesses. Reading and writing gives people the ability to access fact-based information and can be life-changing and life-saving.