The Joy of Reading in Africa

While libraries in North America are busy reinventing themselves to lure people in, and teachers struggle to get kids interested in reading, most communities in Africa have a different challenge. They are suffering from an extreme shortage of books, as well as libraries to house them. Diane Donaldson, a friend of mine from Guelph, is spending the month of January at a school in Kenya to help with that challenge. She and her friend, Mary Starr, raised funds to travel with PACE ministries to help build a children’s library and house it with books. According to her friend Mary’s report, getting the children interested in reading has not proved difficult!

“PACE Children’s Library is open for business! With 10 brightly colored, vinyl covered couch cushions, an 8 by 10 foot rug, some benches and…BOOKS we had a marvelous afternoon. Fearing pandemonium when the door was opened, Diane and I strategized and schemed and planned how we would channel their enthusiasm to enjoy the library, without ending up like play time in ‘Toy Story 2′. No worries. From the get-go we had very able helpers. Kait and Milcah showed up while we were getting ready, requesting to help us arrange the books. They had obtained permission from headmaster Mr Kinyanjui, and set to shelving the books with great studiousness. As children came to the door, Kait very seriously explained to them, in Kiswahili, rules for handwashing and drying, foot wiping, and removal of shoes before going onto the carpet. If anyone got a little too excited, she would give them the librarian look and shush them quite sternly and loudly. Before long, a good collection of children were sprawled out, cuddled up, sitting on benches, enjoying book after book with such eagerness that it was touching.They were quiet, orderly and very responsive to all of our reminders and instructions for respecting the books and the facility. Diane and I sat back and watched with satisfaction. Our biggest difficulty of the day was getting them to leave when it was time to go.

We had been over the past week talking to some of Teacher Jillian’s art students from last summer, to be thinking of ideas for a mural for inside the library. Before supper we rounded up 16 plus students, to offer up their ideas for the mural. Again, they were quiet and studious, and produced many lovely drawings. As the time before the supper bell began to wind down, many of the art students trickled out, and others came to admire their handiwork and spend some more time with the books. When they had left for supper, we began to put the library to bed, but within a short time, a good sized group of girls had returned, to hang out enjoy the library. They taught us some handshakes and Kiswahili phrases (I have been taught before and will need it again), examined our skin and vaccination scars and showed us theirs, on the forearm instead of the shoulder, chatted happily, and when we were ready to close up and go home for supper, they carried our bags and accompanied us to the gate. The end of an amazing day.”




If you wish to help us reach our library goal ( we are in need of $300 more), please click on this link:

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=2662905&langPref=en-CA