Wednesday 30 December 2009

Sankofa

Hi All!

Well Sankofa: a journal of African Children's and Young Adult Literature Volume 8 2009 is out in USA... AND WE ARE IN IT!!! Our Patron Beverley Naidoo has written a great article about her book Burn my Heart, and she talks a lot about KLT- including about Little Hands Big Steps, and our Super Angels girls groups!! Do have a look, and let me know if you manage to see it!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Saturday 19 December 2009

...and there's more...

AND... We have received funding from the Marion Esling Legacy, Holy Trinity & St Peters Church Wimbledon towards the Little Hands Big Steps project, to the tune of £5000!!! This is AWESOME!!! MANY MANY THANKS!!


Anne and Patrick will start working on this early in the new year to get the books organised, get a group together to have a marvellously mucky time doing hand prints with 3 year olds from our libraries- this is how we decorate the LHBS bookbags!-, then distrubute to all KLT centres. WONDERFUL! Have been dying to do this since we launched the first LHBS in June!

Hope is restored!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Emm Wiki.. be proud!!!

Well guys, I need to lose weight NOW never mind after Christmas!

SOO I have entered KidslLibs Trust as a charity entrant in theEdinburgh Half marathon (13. something miles)! Anyone interested in running with me? I start training in New Year... I have paid for 5 places, and other ones will have to pay for themselves.. SORRY!

Want to try to get T shirts with our logo on (our wee Bibliosaur) and run wearing big round specs like he has, plus carry a book (like he does!).

Already have a specs shop trying to locate the glasses frames for us!!

This is a great way both to get fit AND to raise money for KLT.. I am planning on approaching public libraries here to see if they will put up a display and put out sponsor forms or collection boxes..

ANY more ideas welcome!!!

Thursday 17 December 2009

Santa is coming- to Sipili!!! Watch this space!

The space in question is here:


YEAY!! Safaricom Foundation have agreed to give us the money to build our new library in Sipili! Patrick is collecting first installment today (17th Dec), so we should be able to start construction early in New Year! Patrick will be supervising the construction.

ALSO Maili Saba now has its carpet and is open to the public- at last!!! They still - from what I can pick up- have no catalogue drawers, and still need to replace kinderboxes and children's shelving, but we hope MYSA will find these things in the very near future. The community of Maili Saba have waited SOOO long! WELL DONE Kennedy and Simon!

Githurai is making progress under the direction of Douglas (who was trained at Maili Saba).
They are processing their books currently. Douglas also helped out with...

BookAid International book delivery! These books arrived when Anne was in Kenya. They have now been sorted by Patrick, with the help of Steve and Charles from Mathare North MYSA centre, and of Douglas from Githurai MYSA centre. Patrick has delevered these books to all MYSA centres so far, and will get to Sipili we hope before Christmas. He is checking on the situation at Kawangware library before taking the books there.

We are still hoping for good news re a donor to build our centre in Murang'a district...

I am SO relieved that KLT and the libraries are continuing- even though I am not there. What a relief! I am looking for donors, but may have to get a full time job, save like mad, and get back to Kenya under my own power.

We received money during the November campaign, and this will in part help Patrick visit the libraries etc and deliver stock (fuel costs etc).

We have several proposals in to help us create more Little Hands Big Steps bag sets, so we can run the project from every KLT centre, and also for girlchild 'Super Angels' groups. Hope to get some positive news soon.

That's it for now! Talk soon! Any ideas of funds gratefully received! There is so much more we can do!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Help Anne to get back to Kenya to get more libraries open, and to develop exisiting ones in good positive ways.. and to spread the word about books.