Brightness & Books donation held in Rwanda

The Brightness & Books donation ceremony took place at Kacyiru Primary School in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, on the afternoon of July 6.

With support from China's State Council Information Office, the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda and Rwanda Education Board (REB), the charity event was hosted by the Beijing MW Foundation and China Report Press under the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) in collaboration with East Africa Co Ltd under the China Railway Construction Engineering Group (CRCEG), the STECOL Corporation under PowerChina, and Fadar Ltd.

At the event, school bags containing writing materials and solar desk lamps were donated to more than 2,000 students at the school.

Umutesi, the headmistress of Kacyiru Primary School, said at the donation ceremony that the aid of China has played a significant role in greatly improving the Kacyiru Primary School’s facilities as well as information and communication technology access.

Distinguished guests attending the ceremony included Guo Weimin, vice-minister of China's State Council Information Office; Ndayambaje Irenée, director-general of the REB; Xing Yuchun, political counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda; and Chen Shi, deputy editor-in-chief of CIPG and honorary president of the Beijing MW Foundation.

When addressing the ceremony, Guo expressed his hope that the school supplies can provide assistance to the children's study and growth so that the children will enjoy the "fragrance" of books in brightness, just as the program’s name suggests. "Today, you are good children of your country," he told the students. "Tomorrow you will become contributors to national development."

Ndayambaje Irenée, director-general of the Rwanda Education Board, said that reading is very important to the growth and education of students and expressed deep gratitude to the Chinese community for their continued support.

Founded in 2014 by China Report Press under CIPG, Beijing MW Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to promoting international cooperation by carrying out charity projects as platforms for people-to-people exchanges.

Brightness & Books is an international education assistance program initiated by the foundation targeting children. With extensive support from business and cultural circles, the program is aimed at providing assistance to foreign primary and middle school students in need. In October 2016, it brought school supplies to pupils at Norodom Primary School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and in November 2017 to Donkoy Primary School in Vientiane and another school in Oudomxay province, Laos, receiving wide acclaim from local governments, education authorities and the public.