Have you ever felt very proud of something you have done?
This picture was taken four years ago, when Christine got a diploma for finishing a literacy program led by THRIVEGulu. She is VERY proud that she learned how to read (she couldn’t go to school when she was a kid because she lived during a war). Now, she teaches other people to read!
If you look at the graphic below, it explains how THRIVE works to teach reading and writing. Christine is an example of someone who learned to read and write both English and Acholi (because in northern Uganda where we work, Acholi is a native language that is spoken in many homes… and English is a language spoken all over Uganda and in many businesses) in an Empowerment Group. She then decided she wanted to help others by becoming a Literacy Facilitator. Sharing knowledge is very powerful!
You can learn some Acholi right now… “Apwoyo matek” means thank you very much!
Do you like reading books with your family?
Families in Gulu want to read together too, just like the family in this picture. Our library will have lots of places where families can read together. There will be mats that people can take outside and read under the trees at the THRIVE center. There will be rugs on the floor of the Reading Room where groups can enjoy books together when the weather isn’t cooperating.
When did you see your first book?
You probably don’t remember when you saw your first book. Most of us have been looking at them and touching them since we were babies or toddlers. But when your family doesn’t have books in your home, you can’t learn that they are a very important part of literacy and education. This picture was taken at a meeting of one of our Empowerment Groups, where about 30 people in a village (mostly women) come together to learn to read and write, learn how to run their own businesses and save money, and learn how to help each other and ask for help when they need emotional support. The little girl in the photo is gaining early literacy skills just by watching her mom, grandmother, and great grandmother learn how to read!
We want to make sure that many different kinds of books are in our library, like your public library. So we will have children’s picture books, geography books, adult science and other non-fiction, and so much more. We also will have books both in Acholi and English.
How THRIVEGulu’s Literacy Program Works:
Do you have a computer in your home or school?
Most families in Gulu don’t have computers. Most don’t have televisions. In fact, many don’t have electricity in their homes. Schools don’t have computers or even a TV to watch an educational program.
But computers are very important to businesses and workers in Uganda, too. Business owners need to be able to advertise their products and services. Workers need to be able to apply to jobs online and write resumes. With no computers in their homes or schools, and no libraries with computers for the public to use, what are they supposed to do?
We are changing that. Our Library & Resource Center has a Multi-Media Center with computers for our Thrivers to use and we will run workshops to help them learn how to use them if they don’t already know. There will be wi-fi, too.
Do you like to teach other people sometimes?
This is Vincent. He works for THRIVE as our Education and Empowerment Manager and is in charge of the entire literacy program. He loves helping other people learn how to read and write… and he loves TEACHING other people how to TEACH OTHERS how to read and write. One of the great things about the literacy program is that the people in our Empowerment Groups helped to write the manuals that they use. The stories and examples in the textbook are all relevant to their experiences and choices that they make every day. When we added some Youth Empowerment Groups, Victor met with the teens and listened to their stories about the issues that affect them. He could then help write their own manual, using their stories. So their book is different from the one the adults use. And when we open the library, we will design a manual that is multigenerational… so it will be created by people of all ages who are going to learn together. Isn’t it cool that some of our Thrivers can help write a book even before they can read one?!
Do you ever study outside?
In Gulu, lots of students have to study outside. Many live in small, round huts where there’s no electricity, with four or more other people, and not enough room to concentrate. Uganda is also near the equator, so the amount of daylight stays about the same all year… even though it is quite hot there, the sun rises and sets just before 7 o’clock every day. So you can often find students sitting under streetlights reading their schoolbooks.
For people who want to read or study outside, our library will have benches and chairs for them to use. Our center also has a generator, so there can always be good lighting, whether inside or out.
HELP LIGHT OUR LIBRARY IN GULU TODAY!
(And one more thing… we have built new restrooms since we only had pit latrines until now. The new restrooms have a water reclamation system so we can capture rainwater for handwashing and flushing toilets, and a biodigester to naturally process the waste!)
