Rehabilitate Bereba Library to honor David Pace

As we noted in the last report, Bereba library unfortunately remains closed due to the civil conflict in Burkina Faso. It has now been about 9 months since the last attack against Bereba, but in June the neighboring village of Sara was attacked and 8 persons were killed. It is unclear at this time whether schools in the area will reopen in October. If the library opens this year we will dedicate all collected funds for rehabilitating the library.

The FAVL-supported libraries in Burkina Faso have had several tough years. The civil war, which started in 2016, has grown rapidly, and has pitted various Islamist-oriented groups (whose first actions are to close schools and insist that schooling be in Arabic, a language that few people in the country speak) against the Burkinabè military (which overthrew the democratic government in 2022, and suspended local government). The upshot of the conflict is that 21 of 38 libraries have been closed. Our partner organization in Burkina Faso, ABVBF, continues to visit libraries that remain open, in secure areas. The office in 2022 pivoted to a major initiative, the production of 10,000 copies of 50 illustrated books written and illustrated by residents of the town of Houndé. The books have been distributed to libraries that are open. This year our goal is to produce and distribute 50,000 copies. We are also exploring how we can expand the variety of books produced. We’d love to have a young adult science fiction series for readers in Burkina Faso.

Over in Ghana, CESRUD, FAVL’s local partner, continues to support the three libraries of Sumbrungu, Sherigu, and Gowrie-Kunkua. The libraries receive numerous visitors every week. Kitengesa Community Library and the Uganda Community Libraries Association are continuing to offer regular services.