By Bitebo Gogo | Executive Director
IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO BUILD A LIBRARY
In May last year, when the Executive Director of Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation and the Coordinator of our implementing partner CDM Foundation visited CDM Primary School Lila in Mubi Hills, we were quite impressed with the stakeholder commitment of the Parents Teachers Association in ensuring that the school continues to expand to accommodate the growing and long-term needs of the community.
Therefore; it did not come as a surprise to the KIR Foundation Team, when we were informed by the Coordinator of CDM Foundation that the students and the PTA of CDM Primary School Lila had decided to embark on the construction of a community library. According to Miss Naomi the former Assistant Head Teacher of the School, who is currently the Head Teacher, “The students and teachers were inspired by the support received from KIR Foundation in the form of textbooks, desks and bookshelves for the Reading Corner, we wanted a library that could be accessed by everyone in the community even after school hours and we felt KIR Foundation had already done enough for the school, so we decided to build the community library on our own”.
The teachers and the students raised money from the proceeds of the sales of farm products from the school farm and part of the school fees and bought the materials for the construction of the library. The parents dug the foundation of the library structure and the students and teachers completed the building of the library. KIR Foundation is truly proud of the dedication of our beneficiaries to breaking the cycle of poverty through education.
Kenneth and Zion students of the school who contributed immensely to the building of the library, said they are excited about the new library, because they love to read and learn. The presence of the library creates an opportunity for them to access books that their parents cannot afford to buy. Now, they can stay back in the library to read after school. The teachers are also happy, because they can do their research in the library. The Chairman of the PTA expressed his delight about the new library because it is an invaluable resource for the community for generations to come.
Dear donors, the new Library would not have been built if you did not invest in the purchase of the books, desks and bookshelves for the Reading Corner. The presence of the library has created a Lterary Hub which will boost literary moral and encourage a strong reading culture among the children, their parents and the community. The involvement of the community in this project, ensures that the project will remain sustainable after KIR Foundation has long gone. In UNESCO Public Library Manifesto 1994; it is stated that, “The public library, the local gateway to knowledge, provides a basic condition for lifelong learning, independent decision-making and cultural development of the individual and social groups.” Therefore, the importance of the Community Library which is currently the only library on the Hills of Mubi North Local Government Area cannot be overemphasised.
Thank you, once again dear donors, for your continued support. However, the toddlers in CDM Nursery School Gilmari need our support, because they do not have desks to sit on and are presently sitting on the floor. Also, we need your support to complete the flooring, fix the windows and roof the CDM Primary School Project in Lainde. Your investment is breaking the cycle of poverty by providing quality education for our rural beneficiaries. Please visit www.kirfoundation.org to learn more about us.
We have come a long way since last year and your investments have inspired a community to take their destiny into their own hands and leave a tangible legacy for generations to come. However, we still need $34,929 to ensure that the project is finished on time. Kindly consider becoming a recurring donor, encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to do the same and donate to https://goto.gg/26980. All donations are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers to the full extent permitted by the law.
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