U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission McAnulty Reads to Children to Close Summer Program

U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission James McAnulty flanked by CPAO Melissa Ford and DG National Center for Women Development Fatima Betara, reads to children. Embassy photo by Idika Onyukwu

DCM James McAnulty (2nd left) joins participants and American Corner Coordinators to cut program cake, August 23 in Abuja. Embassy Photo by Idika Onyukwu

On August 23, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission James McAnulty formally closed the 2012 Summer Reading Program in Abuja, awarding certificates to 137 participants.  Mr. McAnulty read two stories and presented prizes to 12 children who distinguished themselves as top readers and spellers. The U.S. Embassy and the American Corner Abuja organized the event.

The Summer Reading program, now in its fourth year, began August 6 at the American Corner Abuja, located at the National Center for Women Development. Around 140 children from diverse backgrounds, including primary school students from Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory, enjoyed the culture of reading with hundreds of books to choose from. “Basically, we gave the children the opportunity to read a book and we encouraged them to take simple comprehension to make sure they understood what they read,” said one of the event’s organizers, Suzanne Miller, Information Resource Officer, U.S. Embassy.  

Ms. Miller noted the 2012 program was designed to encourage a reading culture for children and also help them read books for fun.  Apart from the fun reading exercises, children engaged in other activities like spelling bees, cross-word puzzles, storytelling and arts and crafts. 

Mr. Jim McAnulty read two books—Big Cat Babies and The Hunterman and the Crocodile to participants ages five to 11 years.  The stories showed the children the virtues of honesty, family values and the need to preserve the environment. 

Dignitaries attending the closing ceremony included Dr. Fatima Hassan Betara, Director General, National Center for Women Development, Manny Emecheta, Director of the Bola Ige Technology Center, Melissa Ford, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy, and parents of the participating children.