Books Open the World Winter July 2010
In June Victor Lawrence, a librarian from Florida, volunteered with ‘Books Open the World’ in Uganda, and he did a great job. He opened two new libraries, made possible by a grant from the Nando Peretti Foundation and many people who have donated books in Davis, CA (USA). The new Kasenda library is near the Kasenda Ecosystem, a small pocket of forest near a crater lake called Ruigo, where four species of monkeys can be seen and lots of birds and butterflies. Richard Tooro of Kabarole Tours & Safari Ltd operates tourist facilities there and the land is owned by Abdullah Manglash. This library helps strengthen the relationship between community development, ecotourism and conservation, and is a partnership between BOTW and Kabarole Tours & Safari Ltd. The new library in Kitumba is at Peter Ahabyona’s place (BOTW manager on the ground) near Fort Portal town. Now that Victor has ‘been there and seen it’, he is even more enthusiastic about BOTW and he is going to stay involved as a member of our board. Below is his letter to you. A short report from Freerk’s March visit can be accessed here.
Warm wishes,
Freerk Molleman and Gosia Arlet
Dear BOTW Supporters:
I feel very lucky to have been able to visit Uganda and the Fort Portal area this past June, and I’d like to thank all the amazing people who helped make my trip a wonderful and productive experience! That list begins with the resourceful and diplomatic Peter Ahabyona, who came to Entebbe to meet me at the airport and was with me for many BOTW activities throughout my stay, and includes the support of our ever helpful library supervisors, Bonny Balyeganira and Francis Kanywanii, and, of course, all the gracious librarians who I met with Anet Kabatembuzi, Rose Balyeganira, Harriet Kesime, Beatrice Rwabogo and Allen Kabusinge. Also, I give a very special thanks to all of the enthusiastic students who came to visit me in classes at the different libraries while I was there!
One of the first things we were able to do while Peter and I were still in Kampala was visit Fountain Publishers to pick up their catalogue of books and buy some books in the local languages that the librarians had requested. They had decided they are of special interest to the library patrons because of the language and they are all on different aspects of local life. We hope to continue buying these kinds of books in the local languages on a regular basis for the libraries.
When we arrived in Fort Portal and the Field Station in Kibale National Park, which was the beautiful base for my stay, I was able to begin exploring the area and visiting all the libraries. Because Kanyawara Library was closest to the Field Station I visited there first, on my second day, but I also paid a visit to the Kanyambeho and Kigarama Libraries on the following day, where I was able to meet the librarians, Beatrice and Rose. I was hoping to visit the children in classes at the Ruteete Library that first Saturday, but wasn’t able to because of a downpour, so I resolved to visit it the following weekend, along with the Kanyawara Library classes, and the Kigarama and Kanyambeho Library classes the weekend after that.
One of my goals for the trip was to meet with the classes in the libraries to start a letter writing program between the students there and students at our local elementary school in my hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. To that end, I brought stationery and craft supplies to use so that the students could write the initial batches to bring back home with me. Over the course of those next two Saturdays, and a Sunday afternoon in Nkingo Library, I was able to collect a large batch of letters and drawings from students of many different ages, which I will begin to distribute to classes here once the school year begins in September. These visits to the library classes also gave me the chance to interact with the students and play games with them in English, while they recited poems for me, in Nkingo, and sang for me, in Nkingo, Kanyawara and Kanyambeho, which were truly special occasions!
I was able to get together with all the librarians for a meeting at the Kanyambeho Library, where we were able to discuss many issues about the libraries, including rotating the stock between the libraries to the BOTW storeroom so that their patrons would have fresh reading material, activities for English classes and the possibility of computers for the librarians to use for inventory and to teach the students computer skills. In the end, we resolved that it would be best to get all the books in the storeroom organized and inventoried to facilitate the book exchanges between libraries, and that it would be a good idea to use the occasion for the librarians to meet to discuss how everything was going in the different libraries.
Consequently, I did spend quite a bit of time in the storeroom by the Kanyawara Library organizing books for that purpose, as well as selecting and getting inventories of the books to be taken to Kasenda and Kitumba for new library openings there. By the end of the trip, we did manage to get all of the books out of their bags and organized into the different sections, the reference, childrens, young adults, adult fiction and magazines and on to the shelves, with the help of Francis and Isaiah, who organized the wood and carpentry for the extra shelving that was necessary.
Of course, the library openings were very exciting occasions for us! First, we were able to get the building space, shelving, furniture ready for both locations, and then transport the organized books to put them on the shelves. This was greatly helped by Richard Tooro and Abdullah Manglash and his sons in Kasenda, and Peter Ahabyona in Kasenda and Kitumba. On the Monday of my last week, we had the official opening for the Kasenda Library with representatives from the Local Councils, the primary and secondary schools, the parish clergy and representatives of Books Open the World, including two Canadian volunteers on a reforestation program in the area, Carl Boodman and Spencer Hill. Through the course of the ceremony and lunch afterwards, back at Planet Ruigo, we determined that it would be best to form a local committee to inform people of the community about the library’s services and to begin the search for its new librarian.
One of the final ceremonies I got to attend was to give out the certificates to students at the Nkingo Library who had finished a course of English. It was very exciting to hand out the certificates, speak with many of them and afterwards have a wonderful meal and then sing and dance with everyone! It was truly a memorable experience and a great part of its success goes to the hard work and organization skills of Allen Kabusinge.
Finally, when Peter and I made our back to Kampala, we went to Aristoc Bookstore to pick up a selection of books for primary and secondary level students at the Kasenda Library, which had been suggested to us by the Headmistresses and Headmaster of the local schools at the opening there. We hope that this batch can serve as a model to duplicate for the students at these levels in all the libraries.
As you can see, it was a very full and fulfilling experience, and as I began this article, I can only say once again to everyone who helped while I was there We Bale Muno, my friends! Thank you for everything and I look forward to working with as many as you as possible in our ongoing work together!
Victor Lawrence