We learned recently of a project supporting schools in northern Kenya taking place at Norwood School, one of the five schools Steven Labarakwe visited during the April 2011 program organized by ESHA. We offer Norwood and Sue Gail Spring our congratulations and best wishes for their next steps. Here are the details:
When Steven Labarakwe walked into Norwood School's well-stocked Middle School Library last spring, he commented wistfully that his students have very few textbooks and no other books or libraries available to them. That conversation started the Books for Kenya initiative to get books in the hands of the students of northern Kenya. A couple of years ago, friends opened the first library in northern Tanzania with books donated primarily by the World Bank Book Project. Thanks to a Norwood grant, the Lower School Librarian and I were able to spend a couple of weeks helping set up the Mwika Community Library, so I had seen firsthand the impact that books from WBBP can have on a community. I promised Steven that I would ask if the Project could also help his students.
When Steven Labarakwe walked into Norwood School's well-stocked Middle School Library last spring, he commented wistfully that his students have very few textbooks and no other books or libraries available to them. That conversation started the Books for Kenya initiative to get books in the hands of the students of northern Kenya. A couple of years ago, friends opened the first library in northern Tanzania with books donated primarily by the World Bank Book Project. Thanks to a Norwood grant, the Lower School Librarian and I were able to spend a couple of weeks helping set up the Mwika Community Library, so I had seen firsthand the impact that books from WBBP can have on a community. I promised Steven that I would ask if the Project could also help his students.
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| Sue Gail Spring logs book contributions (Photo: Young Kimaro) |
The World Bank Book Project collects books from schools and libraries around the Washington, DC area and then sorts, boxes, and ships them abroad based on a qualifying system that takes about 3 years to complete. I asked my friends at the WBBP if there was any way to get at least some books to the underserved students of northern Kenya faster than that. The Project agreed to pack about 50 boxes of books for northern Kenya as long as I paid the shipping costs – not insignificant to such a remote area. Thanks to many generous friends and a successful social-hour fundraiser, the funds have now been raised and the 50 boxes of books are being packed. In a couple of weeks, geography, history, mathematics, reference, and other non-fiction books will be on their way.
Steven decided that it would better serve his students to provide some books to several schools rather than to create one formal library. He has selected a teacher in each school to be responsible for the books. While it will take some time for them to reach their destination, in a few months Steven will be able to send us photos of smiling children with books in hand.
Next for Books for Kenya: raise money for Steven to purchase the Kenyan published textbooks that are so critical to prepare students for the all-important national exams. Each textbook costs about $6 U.S. Currently textbooks are shared by several students, but I hope that by the start of the next school year, many more textbooks will be available to the deserving students of northern Kenya.
-- Sue Gail Spring, Librarian, Norwood School
