Hatua Likoni is equipping Likoni's first library, which provides students with a place to study, read, and take computer classes.
In 2010 Likoni student's average end of primary exam score dropped below 200. The pass mark is 250. Educators throughout our community agree that a major cause of poor performance is the challenge students face when trying to study at home. Most families in Likoni live in a single, overcrowded room. According to Hatua's research, 27% of homes in Likoni also lack electricity. Imagine coming home from school to a room single room that is subdivided into bedroom, living room and kitchen, is home to 6 people, and uses a paraffin lamp for light. Studying in such conditions is more than difficult. For girls the situation is worse, since they are expected to assist with house chores once they arrive home from school.
For Likoni students to compete at a national level in their end of primary and end of secondary exams they need a place to study. To this end teachers, parents, students, community groups and government in Likoni have come together to see that a Library is created. This work began in 2006 when teachers convinced Likoni's Constituency Development Fund to construct a building to house a library. The building was completed in 2009 and put under the direction of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, but a year and a half after construction, still had not been equipped with shelves, tables, chairs and all the other essentials to make it a library.
Rather than continue to wait for the national government to allocate resources to equip Likoni's Library, our community came together to get the job done. In October 2010 Hatua Likoni called together Head Teachers from over 30 public and private schools in Likoni to elect a Development Committee for Likoni's Library. This committee, comprised of representatives from nine Likoni schools, the District Office of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the National Youth Council, and Hatua Likoni, was charged with fundraising to equip Likoni's Library.
Under the committee's leadership all 60 schools in Likoni agreed to contribute to the library, and to encourage students to use fundraising petitions to collect contributions from the larger community. The committee also hosted a Harambee (fundraiser) in February 2011 where prominent local citizens and businesses, including Post Bank and Cooperative Bank, helped to raise over $2,000 towards the cost of constructing furniture.
Hatua also worked to mobilize donations internationally. SDL Foundation, a UK-based corporate foundation, donated $5,250 for furniture and to equip the Library's computer lab, American Friends of Kenya, a US-based charitable organization, donated over 4,500 books, and the East Side Community High School in New York City donated books and book cataloging materials, including borrowing cards and envelopes.
Thanks to all our supporters Hatua was able to construct shelves, reading tables and computer desks. We were able to wire for lighting and electrical outlets, installed fans, purchased and networked 11 computers, and installed library automation software.
To manage the Library is a big job that requires expertise, so in May Hatua hired Evans Wafula as head librarian. Evans is 23 years old, a Likoni resident, and has an Associates Degree in Information and Library Science. We also hired the 2011 graduates of our scholarship program to help enter books into the Library's automated system. Thanks to their hard work all 4,700 books are digitally cataloged the entire collection and ready to be shelved in January 2012.
Our fully automated library will house a collection of 4,700 titles, a study hall to accommodate 72 students, and a computer lab with 10 computers. These computers will serve two purposes; they will be used to teach essential computer skills to Likoni youth, and will enable the library to earn income through fees for internet browsing to sustain its running costs. The Library's arcade is used by Hatua and other organizations to host trainings for youth on healthy decision making, career choice, and entrepreneurship skills.
In October and November, as the 2011 school year neared its end, an average of 64 students come to study at Likoni's library each day.
