Reading has many advantages, like making one more knowledgeable and, stimulating imagination. It is also said to reduce stress by 68%, as per a study by the University of Sussex.
With these benefits and more in mind, 25-year-old Cliff Richard Ingabo decided to create a phone app for children to get them to read more. Being an enthusiastic reader himself, he has found it fulfilling, so much that he can’t go a month without reading at least one book, and about three articles every day.
His idea to boost the reading culture was inspired when he noticed that his neighbour’s eight-year-old child couldn’t read at all, despite being in grade two.
He wondered how one could go through two years of school and still not be able to read. "I decided that I would do something about it,” he says.
The phone application, TWIS, is short for ‘Twisomere’—loosely translated as ‘let’s read for ourselves’.
According to Ingabo, when choosing a name, he and his team wanted something that reflects who they are, where they come from, and what they’re driving towards.
For him, the short form made perfect sense because it still had that character, and anyone could read it.
As a child, Ingabo says, he yearned to be a writer but was disheartened by people who said that the profession wasn’t ‘serious’, and so he gave up on it, but not for long.
He was sure that opportunities were there for those who knew how to read and write, and so he wanted to teach young people the essence of reading, as reading and writing are closely associated.
The geomatics engineer wanted to create positive change in society by curbing illiteracy—he longed to use whatever means he could, to make an impact, especially among young people.
"TWIS was a product of an absolute need in the community, and me coming full circle with what I had always wanted to do. It focuses on children between the age of five and 12 who can read for themselves. However, we also have books for parents who have younger children and can read to them,” Ingabo says.
He explains that the app helps children become better readers by equipping them with age-appropriate stories, and tailored assessments, in Kinyarwanda.
He adds that currently, he has a web app as well as a mobile application which was recently officially launched, allowing children to access more than 100 books tailored to their age and quizzes that track their comprehension and vocabulary.
Ingabo explains that the app can work offline, and allows parents and teachers to track their progress, understanding gaps in their learning, and thus knowing where and how to help.
"We wanted to see every child be able to read. The most recent data shows that in Rwanda, 21 per cent of third graders can’t read a single word correctly in a minute. This is not just in rural, poor communities. It is everywhere. On the continent, 250 million children cannot read or count well even after four years of school,” he says.
Impact so far
Ingabo further notes that since its establishment in 2020, they have made incredible strides, including that they have over 5,000 children using the platform, in and out of Rwanda.
He also adds that they now have over 100 original book titles and have created more than 15 jobs for young people. "We employ 17 people across marketing, design, software development, book editing, and others.”
Ingabo says that TWIS was selected among the top 50 education innovations in Africa in 2021 by the African Union Commission. The team has worked with Save the Children on a country-wide programme to increase access to quality Kinyarwanda reading materials to children in underprivileged communities.
He anticipates to have TWIS in every major African language. Research has shown that kids learn better and faster when they start with their mother tongue.
"We want to see every child empowered to fulfil their true potential, one story at a time,” he says.
For now, his focus is Kinyarwanda, though currently exploring opportunities to expand to other languages, particularly Swahili - targeting Kenya and Tanzania, for now. TWIS can be accessed on Google Play.