The Wheels on the Bus reached Sipili!!!

Little Hands Big Steps reached Sipili on Wednesday! I only got to talk to two parents, but we had many older kids watching and learning how to use books for fun with our youngest community members- Joseph showed the other parents who arrived a wee bit later. I'm afraid the photos show me performing 'The Wheels on the Bus'!

youngsters watching and learning..

Move on to Kawangware in a few weeks- Maurice needed a bit more time to round up parents/ carers. aunties and uncles! It will be our third session of LHBS with Kawangware community members!


Picture showing our LHBS collection waiting to be used!!


Yes, the Wheels on the Bus really do go round- and we are getting places!

The Return of Little Hands to Gacharage'ini!

Little ones arriving at the library

A new group of ten little ones started LHBS yesterday in Gacharage'ini KidsLibs Community Library! We even have a baby with her Daddy taking part! I managed to talk to four of the ten grown ups, and watched their faces as their smallest family members were introduced to tactile, board, and noisy books! These are the first to be used from the consignment chosen for us by Peters Booksellers in UK (funded of course by Holy Trinity and St Peters Legacy Trust in UK)

Some Mums with their little ones

LHBS will start in Sipili later this week (after some delays!) and round three at Kawangware next Saturday!

HERE WE GO, HERE WE GO, HERE WE GO...!

Photos of Sipili library- with a class of kids!

Oh I LOVE this work!!! All the crap that goes on, and the worry over funding, yet

 THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT!!!

YEAY for libraries!!!!

New Sipili Library- in pictures!

Well I am now back in Kenya, though without any funding, so am somewhat limited due to lack of finances as to what I can do!

children's area

At last we got to Sipili with a camera! It took Joseph sometime to assemble the shelving and re -organise the books- he also had a serious motorbike accident at beginning of January which didn't help! ANYWAY he is now better, and the library re opened beginning of February.

adults area

Patrick and I visited last week and took these pics! Really pleased- just need people in it!! We discovered through chatting in the town that people- in particular a local nursery school- didn't know the library existed! SOOO.. some serious promoting needs to be done!


Also we will hand over the library to the library committee in the next week or two. Their contract is ready!


The new library has a ceiling, plastered walls and loads of extra light, plus a fire exit.

reference area

Safaricom Foundation paid for the construction of the building, but the shelving was paid for my the Australian High Commission, being the original furniture given to the old Sipili library based at Lariak Primary school.
We have had many problems with some senior members of the Sipili
community, wanting to use the library for their own purposes, but hope that these are now resolved. Our library chairman is a wonderful man who has helped us so many ways. 


Unfortunately our guttering keeps being stolen so our rain harvesting has had to stop. The tank will be used for the Super Angels group project- below.

THANK YOU to everyone involved with this project!

We also have been able to restart construction of the Coco Cola Africa Foundation project for the Super Angel girls group in Sipili. This was not possible to run while I was away. We hope to get construction completed in the next month, and to start training up the girls in necessary skills shortly after that.


This project is being supervised by the library chairman and Joseph who runs the library, with professional advice from other community members. much work has been done, but none is photograph-able, being the laying of underground water pipes!


Also waiting for the arrival from UK of the new Little Hands Big Steps books! When these arrive I can make up the new bags and sessions can start in the three KLT libraries! Yeay!






We have a proposal in to Comic Relief in partnership with Village Aid in UK. Please keep all fingers and toes crossed, as this can potentially give us funding for two years, and make a further two libraries, plus develop existing KLT libraries and develop KLT projects in all our libraries.

Thanks for all support everyone!

Talk soon!

Happy Christmas!!!!

A merry and joy-filled Christmas to all! Go visit your neighbours n check that anyone elderly near you is OK!

Christmas is a time of giving... of yourself too!! The more you give, the more you get!

Here's to a good 2011, filled with unity and serving each other!

                                      Love Anne and Patrick @KLT

Prizes at Kawangware!

 On Thursday we finally managed (thanks to the donation of fuel money from a friend in USA!) to present prizes to some of the winners of the Children's Rights Story competition run by UNICEF Glasgow branch! Two highly commended and 1st and second prize winners arrived with their parents to receive their prizes! Third prize recipient and more Highly commended prizes will be handed out at Sipili Library as soon as we can! Many thanks to UNICEF Glasgow for letting us enter this competition.

Our overall winner Cedric

Three of our winners are from the same school!

Gacharage'ini open... IT'S OFFICIAL!!

We opened yesterday- OFFICIALLY! - amidst many speeches from community members, and some great dancing by the local primary school. There was also a special poem written about the library- which we hope to put on the website soon!

 Certificates were handed to the library trainees, and thanks given and received! We were particularly pleased that Aggreko sent a representative to the opening! Dale and his family enjoyed the performances, and I think were impressed with the library. It was great for KLT to be able to thank Zack at Aberdare Cottages for their support of us, as they have accommodated us (lodging and food) for the six months it has taken us from start to finish.
 
Also to thank Patrick, and acknowledge his part in supervising all construction of the building- including sourcing materials and getting them- and keeping everyone motivated, even tho he has a full time job 3-4 hours aways from where the library is located.

Of course BookAid International were thanked for their generous support, and we are looking forward to receiving their donation of 3000 books to add to Gacharage'ini stock.



We can now look towards making our next libraries! We have building quotations available now for both Kinamba and Sosian.
Proposals to write and things to do!!!

THANK YOU EVERYONE for your support!! 

Here's to the next few libraries!!!