ETHIOPIA READS

ALONGSIDE ITS ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY-BASED READING HUBS, INCLUDING THE GEBETA CHILDREN'S COMMUNITY LIBRARY IN ADDIS ABABA, THE HAWASSA READING CENTER, AND ITS DONKEY- AND HORSE-POWERED MOBILE LITERACY PROGRAMS, ETHIOPIA READS CONTINUED TO EXPAND ACCESS TO BOOKS, READING SUPPORT, AND CHILD-FRIENDLY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN IN URBAN, RURAL, AND HARD-TO-REACH COMMUNITIES. IN 2025, THESE PROGRAMS PROVIDED REGULAR LIBRARY AND LITERACY SERVICES, SUMMER CAMPS, FAMILY LITERACY ACTIVITIES, TUTORING, AND READING-CENTERED EVENTS THAT SUPPORTED CHILDREN'S LEARNING, CREATIVITY, AND WELL-BEING.BOOKS AND READING MATERIALS: ETHIOPIA READS DISTRIBUTED LARGE NUMBERS OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS THROUGH SEVERAL CHANNELS IN 2025. IT DELIVERED 9,360 BILINGUAL STORYBOOKS TO 78 SCHOOLS IN 14 WOREDAS IN TIGRAY AS PART OF CONFLICT-RECOVERY PROGRAMMING, AND OVERALL DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN 23,800 IMPORTED, REPRINTED, LOCALLY PURCHASED, AND BRAILLE BOOKS TO SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS NATIONWIDE. ETHIOPIA READS ALSO LAUNCHED ETHIOPIA'S FIRST LARGE-SCALE LOCAL PUBLISHING OF BOARD BOOKS FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN, WITH 8 TITLES CREATED, 20,000 COPIES PLANNED AND MORE THAN 6,500 COMPLETED BY YEAR END.PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: ETHIOPIA READS CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN THE SKILLS OF LIBRARIANS, TEACHERS, SCHOOL LEADERS, AND EDUCATION OFFICIALS THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PEER-LEARNING ACTIVITIES. IN 2025, 174 EDUCATORS PARTICIPATED IN TRAINING AND RELATED CAPACITY-BUILDING PROGRAMS, INCLUDING LIBRARIAN DISCUSSION PLATFORMS, LITERACY-FOCUSED WORKSHOPS, AND TRAINING LINKED TO SCHOOL AND CONFLICT-RECOVERY INITIATIVES. THESE EFFORTS HELPED IMPROVE LIBRARY SERVICES, READING INSTRUCTION, AND THE USE OF BOOKS AND READ-ALOUD PRACTICES IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES.ADVOCACY AND FIELD BUILDING: IN APRIL 2025, ETHIOPIA READS CONVENED ITS 5TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CHILDREN'S READING SUMMIT, BRINGING TOGETHER MORE THAN 100 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS FROM GOVERNMENT, EDUCATION, CIVIL SOCIETY, AND DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS TO ADVANCE DIALOGUE ON EARLY LITERACY, PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT, AND CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE STORYTELLING. ETHIOPIA READS ALSO ORGANIZED MAJOR CHILDREN'S READING FESTIVALS IN HAWASSA AND DIRE DAWA, TOGETHER ENGAGING MORE THAN 2,500 PARTICIPANTS AND HELPING BUILD PUBLIC AWARENESS AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR READING.