Think of Rwanda, and most Australians will think of the genocide that occurred two decades ago. But the  nation is being repaired – sometimes one person at a time.

Take 22-year-old student Abdallah Nshimiyimana, 22, as an example. He says his life has been turned around by Iwawa, a literacy programme using the Bible, run by the Bible Society and the Rwandan Ministry of Education.

I was born in Kirehe District, eastern province, where I lived with my step mother who treated me very badly. At the age of 12, I decided to leave for Kigali in search of a job, but I couldn’t find anything. Life got hard and I lived on the street; I began taking drugs and stealing money to get by, which landed me in prison many times. Eventually, I was brought to Iwawa, and it was here that I found a new life. My life has totally changed…Iwawa saved my life.”

Iwawa is a literacy programme for street children like Addallah once was. The Iwawa Center for Street Children is located in the middle of Lake Kivu in the isolated Rutsiro district. Five staff members conduct literacy classes for 100 street children each year, who each receive a copy of the Bible. Students also take part in vocational training provided by the Rwandan Government, making the education experience holistic.

Bible Society Rwanda began its literacy programme in 2007, in which the Bible is used as a teaching aid. Bible Society developed a series of Bible-based ‘primers’, which use simple language to introduce people to reading. It is run in partnership with the local church. Leaders were trained in how to teach literacy skills and recruit illiterate members of their congregation. In 2012, there were 3,150 participants enrolled in the programme across 11 districts in Rwanda.

This programme responds to real need. Last month the 2013 Human Development Index ranked Rwanda as one of the lowest 21 nations of the world for education, health, and income.

The report stresses that despite its low ranking, Rwanda has taken huge steps towards recovery from the devastating effects of the 1994 genocide. Continued development will depend not only on economic growth but the effectiveness of education and community development initiatives. “Economic growth alone does not automatically translate into human development progress” the report claims. “Pro-poor policies and significant investments in people’s capabilities—through a focus on education, nutrition and health, and employment skills—can expand access to decent work and provide for sustained progress.”

The Rwandan Government has set a development goal of reaching a literacy rate of 80 per cent by 2020. To reach this goal, the government established its partnership with Bible Society Rwanda to provide free Bible-based literacy classes for both youths and adults.

** This project has now finished. To find out about Bible Society Australia’s current projects around the world, click here.