YOUNG READERS BLOOMING IN SPRING!

Meet Elias - Horse-Pulled Library (HPL) Enthusiast!

Dear *{{First Name}}*,

Elias is a 9-year-old boy who lives with his parents and 7 siblings in rural southern Ethiopia. He is the 4th child in the family and eagerly awaits the regular arrival of our mobile HPL and all the wonderful things it brings. Previously, his parents were uncomfortable sending him to school because it takes at least 50 minutes one-way to walk on a dry day. However, after seeing the progress he made reading at the HPL, they wanted Elias to attend school and enrolled him in 1st grade. Unfortunately, he did not continue school because it was too far to go both ways every day.

With the help of the HPL’s educational program and the horse-librarian who can work with the children individually, Elias has learned to read and identify all the numbers. He enjoys spending time with his friends and learning together close to where they live. His younger siblings are also beginning to visit the library as they are excited to see what Elias has learned to do. His parents and Elias commented that they are extremely pleased and grateful that the program regularly comes directly to their area to bring books and storytelling to support and teach the children!

If you haven’t yet seen a Horse-Powered Library in action, check out this Wise Foundation video!

ER’s 5th Children’s Reading Summit Summary 

The 5th Annual National Children’s Reading Summit, organized by Ethiopia Reads on April 2–3, 2025, in Addis Ababa, was a great success. This year’s theme was "Cultivating a Nation of Readers: Inspiring Parental Involvement and Cultural Storytelling for Early Childhood Literacy." We brought together around 200 educators, researchers, ECD experts, central and regional government education officials, authors, illustrators, and literacy advocates to promote a frank and serious conversation about improving early childhood literacy across Ethiopia. A full summary is posted on the website.

Over the past six years since the launch of the National Children’s Reading Summit, the event has undergone a remarkable transformation. Initially, we had to request participants to attend, but now it has become a standing-room-only conference. Literacy professionals in Ethiopia have embraced the event as the premier platform for professionals and officials to address the challenges of children’s reading. Ethiopia Reads has established itself as a trusted independent convener through its consistent focus on fostering high-quality conversations. This is achieved by inviting engaging and relevant speakers and providing a space for non-presenters to contribute and engage in debates. Despite the relatively small size of our organization, Ethiopia Reads has garnered a strong reputation as the most credible team to host critical and influential discussions on the foundations of learning in Ethiopia. We are committed to building upon this reputation and continuing to contribute to meaningful discussions in this field.

Hawassa City Reading Festival

We held our biggest-ever Children's Reading Festival in Hawassa City's Millennium Square over two days at the end of May! We invited more than 2,000 children from the 10 primary schools in the area, along with their parents. Ethiopia Reads hosted storytellers, outdoor libraries, read-alongs, bouncy castles, and kite-making fun. Children and parents were singing, dancing, and flying kites! The event was considered an enormous success as the objective was to get everyone to learn about the joy of stories, read books outside the classroom, and at home! We are grateful for the many young volunteers from high schools, Hawassa University, and other local colleges who always show up and are the most enthusiastic supporters!

ER Hosted A Librarian Discussion

The first Regional Librarian Discussion of 2025 was held on April 25 at Addis Meraf Primary School, in Addis Ababa. The event brought together 51 participants from 22 different schools, including school librarians, principals, and language teachers. A guest trainer from the Child Development Network trained the highly engaged participants. The trainer Mrs. Tesfaye, a language teacher at a well-known international private school, was invited to share her experiences and insights on reading and literacy development.

Ethiopia Reads Plows Ahead

Ethiopia was one of the largest beneficiaries of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and with the closure/restructuring of USAID, budgets were radically cut. Most Western European countries are also cutting their aid budgets. This has been extremely damaging to many non-government organizations (NGOs) and contractors active in education, both in the US and Ethiopia.

While we are sad that so many resources have been withdrawn from many deserving recipients, Ethiopia Reads is completely unaffected by USAID’s budget cuts - thanks to you! The core of our support comes from private donors, large and small, which allows us to (a) stay independent and (b) focus on the projects that we judge have the most beneficial long and short-term impact on the reading environment for children of Ethiopia.

19 Years of "Imaginary Parties"!

Every year for the past 19 years, ER Board Member Ann Porter and Friends of Ethiopia Reads in Grand Forks, North Dakota, get together to stuff envelopes and mail out invitations to an Imaginary Party to raise funds for a specific cause served by Ethiopia Reads. This June, the theme is Passport to Possibility: An Imaginary Journey to Ethiopia. We are so thrilled to be the recipient of this labor of love. The proceeds will support Ethiopia Reads Library Sponsorship program. The Grand Forks community has planted three of our primary school libraries… “Those who read, bloom!”

To donate from our website, use the drop-down menu to specify “Passport to Possibilities”.

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