Becoming a Writer of Stories: Teacher Timothy Niringiyimana discusses authoring children's stories for use in primary schools

His teacher read him a story about a man named Ngunda, who was known for his enormous stomach due to his large appetite for food and sorghum beer. This story sparked Timothy's curiosity for reading and left a lasting impression on him. Timothy's admiration for his teachers led him to become one himself at Ngenda Primary School in the southern province. He is now furthering his studies at the Kigali Institute of Education. Despite his own positive experience with stories in school, many Rwandan children lack access to reading materials. On average, there is one English storybook available for every three children and one in Kinyarwanda for every six children. Ngenda Primary School, where Timothy teaches, has a limited number of storybooks, and children often take turns borrowing textbooks. The lack of storybooks in schools is attributed to the limited production of children's literature by publishers. However, stories have been shown to be an effective way to engage children in reading and improve their literacy skills. USAID's Education Strategy aims to improve the reading skills of 100 million primary school children by 2015, and storybooks are essential to achieving this goal. In response to this need, teachers in Rwanda are taking initiative to create their own children's stories. Timothy was one of 30 teachers who participated in the first USAID-supported Writer's Workshop, a three-day event that guided teachers through the writing process. The workshop helped Timothy to complete his own children's story, Kamana and the Big Dog, which is based on his childhood experience of encountering a dog. Kamana and the Big Dog tells the story of a young boy's first encounter with a dog, which initially frightens him but eventually becomes a beloved pet. The story has been edited, illustrated, and professionally published, and it will soon be available to primary schools. Timothy's story is one of 25 others that have been created through the workshop, and more teachers will have the opportunity to become authors as additional workshops are held across the country. Timothy is eager to support the effort to promote literacy through children's stories. In the coming months, he will do an internship training student-teachers preparing to teach in primary schools. He plans to share his own experience of writing a story to encourage them to do the same, emphasizing the importance of stories in the classroom. With his passion for writing and teaching, Timothy is well on his way to becoming a prominent figure in promoting literacy and a love of reading among Rwandan children.