Ghanaian actress Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante has launched a project aimed at imbuing the spirit of reading in pupils.
Dubbed the Yaa Asantewaa School Library project, it was launched at the La Bawaleshie Basic 1 Presbyterian School on Thursday, August 12, 2021.
This project is one of the many initiatives being championed by the Yaa Asantewaa Foundation.
The foundation, through donations and sponsorships by individuals, provided the school with books and furniture.
According to Juliet, who is also the Executive Secretary of the National Film Authority and the Founder of the Black Star International Film Festival, the Yaa Asantewaa Library project was set up as a citizen-driven initiative to help Ghanaian children travel the world through books.
Their goal is to stock libraries around the country or where there are no libraries, build container Libraries and stock them with exciting books from Ghana, Africa, and the world.
“This is important because the culture of reading is going down and this will help bring it back up as well as help open up the minds of children beyond their environment and make them step more boldly into their future. Children need leisure, and reading during leisure helps open up their minds to many other things not taught in the classroom,” she said.
She added that it is also important that kids have a very calm and aesthetically beautiful space to retreat to. Not everyone has this at home, and a minute to step aside in the day and step into another world is critical to the development of the Ghanaian child.
“The project is something Ghanaians believe in, and many people stepped forward to donate books and some money to set up and stock the Bawaleshie Library, working closely with the school. The opportunity for citizens to come together and work together like this to inspire and impact our children’s future is also something beautiful. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this initiative and will continue to do so,” Juliet added.
She, therefore, entreated the general public to help children to discover and travel the world through books, drum home how important it is for kids to read and keep reading, encourage kids to dream of things, big things, things unknown, undiscovered and journeys of their forefathers.
Visit yaaasantewalibraryproject.org for more.
