Reading has many benefits. It can make you more knowledgeable and stimulate your imagination. According to a University of Sussex study, it is also believed to reduce stress by 68%.
Cliff Richard Ingabo, 25 years old, created a mobile app for children to encourage them to read more. Being an enthusiastic reader himself, he has found it fulfilling, so much that he can’t go a month without reading at least one book, and about three articles every day.
His idea to boost the reading culture was inspired when he noticed that his neighbour’s eight-year-old child couldn’t read at all, despite being in grade two.
He was puzzled at how someone could complete two years of school without being able to read. “I decided that I would do something about it,” he says.
The phone application, TWIS, is short for ‘Twisomere’—loosely translated as ‘let’s read for ourselves’.
According to Ingabo, when choosing a name, he and his team wanted something that reflects who they are, where they come from, and what they’re driving towards.
He found the short form to be very useful because it retained its character and could be read by anyone.
As a child, Ingabo says, he yearned to be a writer but was disheartened by people who said that the profession wasn’t ‘serious’, and so he gave up on it, but not for long.
He knew that there were many opportunities for those who could read and write and wanted to share his knowledge with young people. Reading and writing are closely connected.
The geomatics engineer wanted to create positive change in society by curbing illiteracy—he longed to use whatever means he could, to make an impact, especially among young people.
“TWIS was a product of an absolute need in the community, and me coming full circle with what I had always wanted to do. It targets children between the ages of 5 and 12 years old who can read independently. However, we also have books for parents who have younger children and can read to them,” Ingabo says.
He explains how the app helps children read better by giving them age-appropriate stories and personalised assessments in Kinyarwanda.
He says that he has a web application and a mobile app, which he recently launched. This allows children to access over 100 books, and also quizzes to track their comprehension.
Ingabo explains that the app is offline-compatible and allows parents and teachers alike to track their children’s learning and understand gaps. This helps them to know where and how they can help.
“We wanted to see every child be able to read. The most recent data shows that in Rwanda, 21 per cent of third graders can’t read a single word correctly in a minute. This isn’t just in rural, poor areas. It’s everywhere. On the continent, 250 million children cannot read or count well even after four years of school,” he says.
So far, impact
Ingabo also notes that the platform has made remarkable strides since its inception in 2020. They now have over 5,000 children using it, both in Rwanda and abroad.
He also said that they now have over 100 book titles and have created 15 jobs for young people. “We employ 17 people across marketing, design, software development, book editing, and others.”
Ingabo claims that TWIS was one of the top 50 African education innovation in 2021. Save the Children worked with the team on a country-wide program to increase the availability of quality Kinyarwanda reading material to children in less fortunate communities.
He expects to have TWIS in all major African languages. Research has shown that children learn faster and better when they begin with their mother tongue.
“We want to see every child empowered to fulfil their true potential, one story at a time,” he says.
At the moment, his main focus is Kinyarwanda. However he is exploring opportunities to expand to Swahili and other languages, specifically Swahili. He currently targets Kenya and Tanzania. TWIS is available on Google Play.
Cliff Richard Ingabo, founder of TWIS. Photo/Courtesy
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
Source: rnewtimes
