This project will operate a mobile library that will ply two secondary schools in the Tana River Delta region in Kenya. It will provide books to 300 secondary school students whose schools were vandalized during the ethnic conflicts during 2012-2013. This would be the first library they will experience in their lives.
The Tana Delta with a population of 10,000 was ravaged by ethnic violence in 2012-2013, resulting in displaced communities and disrupted classes. These clashes are reported to be politically instigated. It is one of the poorest regions in Kenya with over 70% of her population living below the poverty line. Education infrastructure in the delta lags far behind the rest of the country. The low literacy rate impedes the rural communities from participating effectively in the development process.
The mobile library project is designed to improve access to quality education. This library will service schools in the interior with the least developed education infrastructure and that were most affected by the conflict in 2012-2013. Access to books will expand students' knowledge beyond the standard school curriculum. These students will then be more discerning and less likely to be manipulated. As a result, they will be less likely to fall victim to politically motivated violence.
With this project, many students will for the first time in their lives be able to access a library. This expands their horizons and provides exposure beyond their rural environment. New knowledge acquired will stimulate their minds to be more inquisitive and discerning. It will help them secure better jobs and allow them to provide for their families, creating a positive cycle. The positive knowledge and experiences that they acquire will be transmitted to their families and larger communities.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).