Jerusalem by the Children and Community Development Organization (JeCCCDO) hosted the 6^th round of Institutional Reading Day of the Authority of Civil Society Organizations (ACSO).

The monthly event is organized by the Authority of Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) and was held for the sixth time on the 5^th of January 2024 at the JeCCDO Opportunity for Change Training Center in the town of Bishoftu.

ACSO’s staff, along with senior officials of the Authority and JeCCDO, took part in a half-day event that involved presentations and a site visit. During the event, Mr. Mulugeta Gebru, the Chief Executive of JeCCDO, gave a brief presentation on the organization’s institutional framework and its ongoing developmental initiatives, with a focus on promoting a reading culture in the areas where JeCCDO intervenes. During his presentation, Mr. Mulugeta highlighted that JeCCDO has been working actively on promoting the culture of reading “Over the years, we built schools and public libraries mainly because we believe in empowering communities and contribute to building a community that can be part of the solution.”

The Director-General of the Authority, Mr. Samson Birattu, expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome and presentation by JeCCDO and asserted that the Authority will continue to provide the necessary support for JeCCDO’s initiatives and further strengthen the relationship between the two organizations.
In addition, Deputy Director-General Mr. Fasikaw Mola emphasized the importance of promoting the culture of reading asserting that “institutions like ACSO and JeCCDO with a strong base in the community has a pivotal role in promoting the culture of reading and that should start within staffs of the organizations.” He also commended JeCCDO for taking the initiative to build libraries in various towns, which will contribute significantly to creating a mature and proactive generation. In his closing remark, Mr. Fasikaw suggested that civil society organizations should make reading a culture in their respective institutions.

Participants of the event visited the library located inside the training center and spent a few minutes reading some of the collections in the library. In addition to the in-house library at the training center, JeCCDO runs the Aba Mengesha Geneme Public Library & Information Center in the town of Bahir Dar. AMGPLIC Also known as Aba Geneme Library is a public information and resource center established on September 23, 2000, GC. as part of JeCCDO’s Community Development initiatives.  The library is one of the biggest and oldest public libraries in the town providing library services including indoor and outdoor reading spaces for the general public and subscription of books and other reading materials for its members. The Center also has a computer lab, makerspace, and a meeting hall with a capacity of 600 participants per day.

The Center also provides various public programs and a series of monthly events using the American Corner’s facilities.

Pictures from the event.