This project will equip 15 schools & community libraries in Mandera County Kenya, providing a rich supply of books & critical literacy support services to 7500 primary & secondary school children & young adults in medical & teacher training colleges. Education provision in Mandera county has suffered enormously due to insecurity caused by violent extremists from across the border in Somalia. Many qualified non-local teachers have left the county & schools are now relying on unqualified teachers.
In the past few years, Mandera County has embarked on a programme of constructing medical, teacher & technical training colleges to address serious skills shortages in the county. Due to insecurity, skilled workers from other parts of Kenya are unwilling to come to Mandera for work hence the need to develop a homegrown skilled workforce. Although the colleges have started their programmes, they lack teaching & learning resources. This project will supply the required reference & course books.
This project will supply reference & course books to the teacher, medical & technical training colleges. Also, the project will supply reference books, fiction & non-fiction books, storybooks & general leisure books to schools & community libraries to improve literacy & develop a reading culture. The funds raised by this project will be used to transport, distribute & improve the recipient institutions' library systems to ensure that the books are looked after & preserved for many years to come.
The project will contribute to the socio-economic development of residents of Northern Kenya in many ways; I). Improve the literacy level amongst the general population in Mandera County which is currently very low at just 30%. II) Enable three colleges in the county to train their students well & produce qualified & highly skilled human resource manpower desperately needed in the county & the entire Northern Kenya region.III) Improve reading culture in schools & therefore improve exam results.
