Kabati YMCA Public Library in Naivasha, Kenya

Less than a year ago From Books to Brilliance (FBTB) partnered with the Kabati YMCA to open Naivasha’s first public library. FBTB funded the custom-built shelving and furniture that would fill the two available rooms, and then purchased as many books and educational materials as funds allowed. As YMCA management, we know that education plays a key role in the struggle against poverty. Full implementation of this library will transform learning experiences for Naivasha Sub County residents.We thank you, GlobalGivers and FBTB well-wishers for your generosity.

In the last three months FBTB provided drawing books, puzzles, learning charts, and crayons, resources that fostered our children’s imaginations. The kids are solving problems, taking things apart, and putting them back together. We believe that this creativity will nurture cognitive development, creativity, and success in our kids. We have observed learners embrace a reading culture, improve their writing and communication skills, especially in English, says Mr. Rabu Sundra, a teacher at nearby Milimani Primary School and YMCA library volunteer.

In Naivasha public schools a single teacher caters to classes of 250 children. To address the students’ needs, the Kabati YMCA has partnered with local schools to offer a weekend learning program. Eleven volunteer teachers and several parents show up to serve the nearly 400 children that fill the library and the YMCA hall. Milly Otieno, a 4^th grade student who attends Monica Memorial Development Center, comes to the library after school daily and on Saturdays. My classmates and I struggled a lot in language, especially in creative writing. However, we have learnt where the secret lies, and now our free time is not only spent playing but also taking time to read creative books, solve puzzles, play board games and doing art and craft.

The YMCA board of directors is delighted with the positive changes the library brings to our community. Using recently published textbooks, local teachers can now plan lessons that align with Kenya’s new Competency Based Curriculum. The facility is also home to a new mentorship program dubbed Big Brother, Big Sister, that helps at-risk youth navigate life’s many challenges. We expect to enlarge the library to accommodate more resources and additional programs, serving Kabati residents of all ages. Please help us achieve this dream!

Links:

• From Books to Brilliance Website
• From Books to Brilliance Facebook page

When From Books to Brilliance (FBTB) notified our YMCA staff that a private supporter would fund the fabrication of bookshelves, storage areas, booths, chairs, and tables needed to launch a library, we were astonished. Pre-primary to sixth-grade students are already enjoying the five hundred books (educational, fiction, non-fiction), coloring books, crayons, and games offered at the YMCA Kabati, Naivasha’s first public children’s library.

With over a hundred primary and secondary public schools in Naivasha Sub-County, the Kenyan government is working diligently to offer affordable education for its youth, but many youngsters are left out. Those children attend more than fifty ill-equipped, non-formal schools, hindering slum dwellers from accessing learning materials and safe spaces to study. We thank you, GlobalGivers, for your interest in supporting education for hundreds of under-served kids in Naivasha.

The YMCA Naivasha Board, heads of local schools, and community leaders officially launched the library on 22^nd January 2022. Over 250 kids participated! To ensure sustainability of the library, organizers shared a step-by-step guide with the audience on how the library will run, and the responsibilities for each of several committees.

I am so excited to have a place to study and do group work with textbooks. I also get to enjoy fun story books and play games, says six-year-old Njeri, a second-grade girl, during the grand opening. It’s humbling and a celebration to the Naivasha community. My son and daughter have a safe space where they can spend their weekends and school holidays revising and having fun by reading fun books and playing, says Mama Pendo, a mother who sells vegetables at a local kiosk.

The library is fully functional and serves over three hundred kids weekly. We are already seeing a positive change in the mindset of kids who are beginning to embrace a learning culture and fully utilizing the library. As we continue to fundraise for phase two of this facility,we expect to serve a growing number of children. We foresee bookshelves filled with books of all genres, drawing residents of all ages. We look forward to the planned expansion of this small library and expect continued positive changes for the Naivasha community.  We thank you, GlobalGivers for your support!

Links:

• From Books to Brilliance Facebook page
• YMCA Naivasha Kabati Facebook page