The Reading Caravan Fuses Literacy With Tourism In Ghana
Readers Bay Foundation has launched a unique initiative called ‘The Reading Caravan,’ It is Ghana’s First Tourist-Readers Adventure that gets patrons glued to a book and read while on a moving bus. The Bus finally arrives in a local school or community where pupils together with their teachers and patrons engage in practical literacy activities to boost the self confidence and communication skills of the school children.
On Saturday, 22nd June 2024, the Reading Caravan bus departed from the Accra Mall at 8:30 am, headed towards Larteh and Mampong-Akropong in the Eastern Region.
The first stop was at the Akonedi Shrine Global Headquarters in Larteh Kubease, where patrons received a brief history of the shrine.
The second stop was at Akropong Methodist Primary School, where Irene Boakye-Danquah, the founder of Readers Bay Foundation, hosted The Reading Challenge for the school children.
The vibrant students took turns reading, with the best-performing class being declared the winner.
The competition was aimed to encourage the culture of Reading Books to boost the literacy levels of children. To further support this goal, the foundation donated assorted books to stock the school’s library.
The final stop of the day was at the Anagkazo Bible and Ministry Training Centre.
Patrons were taken on a tour of the facility, which includes chapels, conference rooms, dormitories, and recreational facilities.
In an interview, Irene Boakye-Danquah, Founder of Readers Bay Foundation explained the foundation’s new Initiative.
“In previous tours, we focused solely on visiting schools and conducting literacy activities. This time, we are fusing them with tourism because we believe that tourism can unveil many wonders to the world. While we tour the country, we are also learning,” she said.
The Reading Caravan initiative aims to make every Ghanaian child’s educational experience comparable to that of their peers in more privileged circumstances, demonstrating that with the right resources and support, such goals are achievable.
By combining literacy with tourism, Readers Bay Foundation continues to innovate in its mission to enhance the educational experiences of Ghanaian children.
The Reading Caravan is an initiative by Readers Bay Foundation, A literacy Foundation that believes that every child needs basic quality education for a better future. This is inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal-4 (SDG4), which aims to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’.
The Foundation supports underprivileged children and communities to elevate their literacy and numeracy levels by mobilizing reading and learning resources to equip and empower them.