About Ethiopia Reads

Ethiopia Reads is a grassroots non profit/non government organization geared toward bringing literacy and literacy related resources to Ethiopia.

Ethiopia Reads Mission Statement: to develop a reading culture in Ethiopia by connecting children with books.


Ethiopia Reads was founded to improve literacy and create a culture of reading in Ethiopia, in order to bring hope, vision and educational skills to this generation of Ethiopian children. We do this by:

-providing quality reading materials, as far as possible in local languages, in accessible locations with encouraging and supportive adult supervision
-publishing attractive books in local languages
-promoting literacy and the importance of reading
-creating libraries and reading centers where they didn’t previously exist

Ethiopia Reads believes that education is the key to improving the lives of the next generation of Ethiopians, a country filled with children, and that books are the key to fostering a genuine love of learning. Yet books are a scant resource in Ethiopia, which has been named one of the three poorest countries in the world, with a life expectancy of 41 years. While new schools are being built at a rapid rate, teaching is by rote in overcrowded classrooms. In the poor neighborhood where Ethiopia Reads established the first children’s library in the country, for example, there are 180 children per class who attend half-day sessions. Yet enthusiasm and demand for learning is very high: When Ethiopians are asked what they need most, they often say “education.” Ethiopia Reads is the only organization in Ethiopia whose only focus is on putting books into the hands of children and encouraging literacy.

Ethiopia Reads AT A GLANCE

Ethiopian Children's Book Week, which takes place in April of each year, includes the Ethiopia Reads-created Golden Kuraz Award, which encourages Ethiopian writers to produce books for children.

Shola Children’s Library, the first free children’s library in the capital city of Addis Ababa, is filled with young readers every day of the week, and now records 60,000 visits per year.

Working with government schools as well as other non-profit organizations, Ethiopia Reads will plant twenty libraries and reading centers in elementary schools around Ethiopia in the next twelve months.

ETHIOPIA: A NEED TO READ

Do you remember the first book you loved as a child? Remember the magical experience of getting to know and love the characters — even missing them when the book was finished? For children, books can be so many things: comfort, learning tools, windows to other worlds both far-away and familiar. Books teach us that we have the right to dream.

Since Ethiopia Reads opened Ethiopia’s first free children’s library in 2003, thousands of children have experienced the joy of reading for the first time. This seemingly simple act has had a profound impact on their young lives. In Ethiopia, books represent hope. Ethiopia is a beautiful country, with breathtaking scenery and a vast richness of culture and spirit. But it faces tough challenges. Reading will equip today’s children with the skills to become tomorrow’s problem solvers.

Ethiopia has a strong tradition in oral story telling, an ancient history and written language, components that inspire a literate book-loving culture. Yet there are many obstacles to education. Consider:

58% of Ethiopians age 15 and above cannot read.

Classes in government schools around typically have approximately 180 students at a time.

At present, 99% of schools in Ethiopia have no libraries!

Ethiopia Reads sees the difference that just one library, one book, one story can make in the life of a child. We see it in the faces of the thousands of children who visit Shola Children’s Library every month. Last year, we logged 60,000 visits. Is there any question Ethiopia’s kids love books?

Ethiopia is a country with a strong tradition in oral story telling and an ancient history and written language, components that inspire a literate book loving culture. However, the literacy rate in Ethiopia is extremely low and the number of Amharic books available, especially for children, is devastatingly small. Ethiopia Reads believes that no child should need to do without the resources and joy that books bring.

Ethiopia Reads is working in both the United States and Addis Ababa to accumulate the necessary resources to realize this dream. Ethiopia Reads is an on going project that can always use support and volunteers!

Ethiopia Reads is a 501 c (3) non-profit organization established for the purpose of promoting children's book publishing, reading, literacy and the development of education in Ethiopia.

The funds for Ethiopia Reads come from private donations, from grants and fund raising activities. Your contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law.