|
Eastleigh Library |
KidsLibs Trust aims to expand its partnership model for creating and maintaining vibrant community libraries, so that many more Kenyans -- children, youth and adults -- can benefit from free access to information, to the information technologies of the 21st century, and to programs that meet their needs and desires. As of March 2009, KidsLibs has a half-dozen potential library partners in various stages of discussion, planning, and even construction. We are in the process of forming a KidsLibs-UK organization to help us with fundraising, so that we can meet our goal of opening six new centres within the next three years. |
|
Family reading, Sipili |
The need is enormous. Mathare Valley alone has 16 zones, only three of which have community libraries so far! And Mathare Valley is just one of many populous slums in Nairobi. Rural communities have different, but equally acute, needs that can be met through the KidsLibs model, as our newest library in Sipili is proving. A few key concepts underly the KidsLibs approach: Our centres are free and open to all - readers and non readers alike. We strive to meet the needs of the different language communities in Kenya. We also welcome those with physical, sight, hearing, or other impairments, and are always striving to meet their needs with appropriate materials. And the libraries are staffed by members of the communities where they are located. These principles are fundamental. The national library service recently imposed fees for visits to the main Nairobi library -- and saw a dramatic decline in usage as a result. Tension and mistrust between different language and tribal groups remains very high following the violence that erupted following the 2007 elections. The Grand Coalition government formed in early 2008 has done little to promote harmony between these groups. In our libraries, we see local staff -- all of them quite young and with only limited education -- becoming community leaders and peacekeepers. By their very presence, the libraries strengthen the very idea of a community that transcends tribe, and includes the concept of a safe and supportive place for children and families. Meanwhile, library programs expand members' ideas about the place of books, reading, and learning in their lives.
|
