Project Library

Based on our communication with community leaders, it was relayed to us that there is a need for libraries in the schools at all levels of educations. The literacy rate in Sierra Leone as measured in the year 2008 was 38% of the population and currently ranks 195th in the world out of 201 countries.

One of the main projects currently underway is to finance the construction and initial upkeep of libraries in Ghana and Sierra Leone. RISE hopes to partner with with schools, universities and organizations in the US to sponsor bookdrives and in turn help communities build libraries for their children and adults to improve reading skills. Children in Accra typically read at a basic level by the time they are in upper primary classes, and classic literature is an expensive rarity in the area. To encourage teachers and students to read together, RISE will send colorful and fun reading activity sheets and essay lists to the schools to complement the books! RISE hopes to gain the corporate sponsorship to cover shipping costs for the +35,000 books to be sent into Ghana and Sierra Leone. In Ghana, partnerships have been set up with Ghana Book Trust, Ltd. and Relief International to ensure that the books get to the schools, while a similar distribution network is being formed in Sierra Leone.