Master Uriel Prince Boateng Aryeetey, a primary 3 pupil of Covenant Presbyterian School, has established the Uriel Foundation to build up the culture of reading among young people in the country.
The foundation, named after him, would undertake reading exercises in schools among school children and provide reading materials to less-privileged children to develop their reading skills.
Master Uriel Aryeetey said his mission was to inspire, empower and inculcate reading habits in children through undertaking reading activities and donate books to less-privileged children.
He said he was inspired to set up the foundation after he won a reading competition dubbed Bookworm Reading Contest, saying, the competition opened him up to the importance and benefit of reading.
“By the end of the competition, I had developed my communication and public speaking skill. That is why I want to help other children through the foundation to be able to read and be proficient,” he reiterated.
Greater Accra Regional Director, Ghana Library Authority, Edward Addo-Yobo, commended the young founder for his initiative and expressed the interest of the authority in supporting his foundation.
Mr Addo-Yobo advised parents to encourage their children to read, saying, reading broadens one’s intellectual capacity.
“We need to cultivate the habits of reading among our children and ourselves as this improves our communication skills and broaden our horizons. The ability to read is a prerequisite for learning, let’s encouraged our children to read ,” he said.
He said the reading habits of students were on the decline due to new platforms such as social media, adding that, social media should rather be a platform to increase one’s reading habits.
Mr Addo-Yobo advised students to regularly patronise libraries in the country to read and learn.
Headmistress of the School, Evelyn A. Antwi, commended Uriel for his initiative and encouraged everyone to fully support him.
She urged all students to draw inspiration from him and take up reading as a habit, because reading was the genesis of greatness.
GNA