Yohannes Gebregeorgis speaks at a New Jersey library

Those of us who were born in Ethiopia and grew up in America can attest to the sense of wonder that books provide. But what about the children in Ethiopia where the literacy rate is among the worst? Where only 42.7% of Ethiopia’s population is literate and 99% of schools have no libraries? What kind of world would theirs be? A world without fairytales and dragons, one without a glass slipper and a mermaid. It would more likely be one without a happy ending. Thanks to Ato Yohannes Gebregeorgis this is no longer the case for so many Ethiopian children. Ato Yohannes was chosen among CNN’s Top10 Heroes and was honored during CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute. He is currently on a tour of 12 cities in the United States and Europe. On December 11th Ato Yohannes visited Maplewood Memorial Library located in Maplewood, New Jersey. .. [read more]