By Lee Koelzer /Omedo David | GRU Director/ GRU Librarian
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves,how much are we doing to make the young ones love books?"
~ David, GRU Librarian
When I was little my mother read to us every night before bed. It started with basic kids picture books that were mostly pictures and has simple plots, and ended with classics like Hatchet and Bunnicula. It was a luxury really- one that I did not realize I has until I came to Uganda. Here, most families do not have children's books. Many parents are illiterate and while cultural folklore is passed down through the art of storytelling, it differs from the indulgence of books.
Our libraries add a bit of that luxury that I had as a child. While our librarians are not reading the kids stories at bedtime, they do welcome children of all ages and sit with them and they are read stories. They explain the stories and translate them into the children's native tongue. They widen the children's imaginations and open up their worlds so when the kids are a bit older- they can read on their own.
It's a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but to these kids, the libraries are a pretty big deal.
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