Our first library in Lwandeti, Kenya
- Overview
- Western Kenya
- Lwandeti
“Our children, and our community, are blessed to have this library. Since it opened, we have seen a new enthusiasm about books and interest in reading.”
Moses Wadongo
Headmaster, Lwandeti Secondary School
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School children on their way into the library.
The librarian and her student assistant outside the library during its dedication.
A dozen local masons were employed to construct the library.
In October 2010 Buildings & Books dedicated our first library in Lwandeti, a small rural community of about 2,800 people in western Kenya. The library, which took approximately 3 months to construct, is a basic structure built of fired clay bricks over a concrete foundation, and covered with a galvanized metal roof. It is 30 by 50 feet in size, and includes a librarian’s office, dedicated room for reference materials, and a covered veranda.
A safe place to read and study
The children of Lwandeti now have access to books that were previously unavailable to them, including encyclopedias, atlases, science books and classics of literature, as well as learning materials tied to their school curriculum. They also have a safe, comfortable place to read and study.
Community benefit
Our impact in Lwandeti went beyond expanded educational opportunities. We invested directly into the local economy of a very impoverished rural area, where the unemployment rate exceeds the national average of 40 percent. Construction of the library created much needed jobs for a dozen masons and laborers for three months, and also benefited the numerous local merchants from whom we purchased the bricks, stone, cement, steel and other building materials used to construct the library.
The positive reception to the library was overwhelming. The dedication ceremony was attended by community leaders, educators and hundreds of children from the community and surrounding areas.
