Reading Circles Launch in Mara

Reading Circles was introduced with much excitement and even made the news in Tanzania!

Thursday, April 24, 2025 was a big day for the Madaraka Nyerere Library and Community Resource Center (LCRC) in Nyegina. Students, teachers, public officials, and elders from multiple villages gathered to celebrate the official launch of a very public effort to promote literacy and spark a reading culture within the Musoma Rural area. Although promoting a culture of reading has been at the center of the LCRC’s mission since it opened its doors in 2016, Thursday’s fanfare marks a major milestone in the ongoing effort of LCRC staff and leadership. The public celebration was for the official launch of a new program we’re calling Reading Circles. 

About Reading Circles

The premise of Reading Circles is relatively simple. At least once a week, people across the Bukwaya area will take a moment to come together, form a reading circle, and share a book. In some instances, the circle may be mostly young children that gather in the shade of a large mango tree, listening to an adult read from a picture book. Other reading circles may be dozens of students in a classroom taking turns reading to each other. Although the reading circles may vary in size and location, they all share the same goal of promoting the value of literacy and the simple pleasure of reading...all while taking advantage of the substantial collections of books that the LCRC offers. 

Why we are so excited about Reading Circles

Since 2016, there have been multiple efforts to get books outside the LCRC’s walls and into the hands of community members. Some minor gains have been made through small groups like the reading club at Mkirira Secondary and a farmers cooperative that has been checking out books on agriculture the past couple years. Reading Circles is different from these past efforts because the community support to participate is so widespread. Volunteers in each village in the Bukwaya area have stepped up to host community reading circles. Even more impressive is the support from teachers and schools. A total of seven schools will be carving out a portion of the school day once a week to read together. This type of buy in from schools and teachers is a first for a TDS program. Although afterschool reading is great, this commitment from schools is a tremendous step in a positive direction. Just imagine, each week more than 700 students  (plus children and adults outside school) will come together to participate in Reading Circles! 

A Vision for Reading Circles

Although the program is just getting started, we are eager to support it with more books and resources! The program was made possible through the generous support of board member Dr. Andrea Trudeau and her friends and family. Their gift allowed for the purchase of a carefully curated book collection for this program. A big component of this purchase and the ability to expand the Reading Circles program is purchasing multiple copies of the same books. Classroom reading circles depend on having multiple copies of a book, and we hope a growing love for reading together will drive a need for more books!