Kinyarwanda Literacy Project

Research by the UNESCO encourages use of the pupil’s first language to teach beginning reading and writing skills and bolster future academic success.

(Source: The Importance of Mother Tongue Based Schooling for Educational Quality, Carole Benson 2004).

Last year, Rwanda’s Ministry of Education announced the mandatory use of English as a language of instruction for grades 1-12, beginning in 2021.

Our Kinyarwanda Literacy Project seeks to equip students in grades 1-3 with strong literacy skills in their mother tongue, which will lay a foundation for future English language literacy. The project unofficially started in December 2019 with a professional development training in the Soma Umenye curriculum and teaching methodologies. The Soma Umenye method was developed by USAID in partnership with Rwanda Education Board. Starting in December 2020, we will pilot the project with three classes of 20 children.