The children giggle and peek their heads through the windows of the dining room of the Mitaboni Children’s Home as the final touches are put on the beginnings of their very own library. When they are finally allowed to enter and listen to the rules and procedures of how to check out and read these new books, they cannot contain their enthusiasm or awe at the many shelves of neatly organised, brand new books in every subject that their minds can imagine. After the librarian has finished explaining the simple system designed to protect and care for the books so they may be enjoyed for generations to come, the first little girl shyly but excitedly steps toward the towering cabinet, chooses a storybook with brightly colored characters painted on the cover, carefully signs her name to the card and hands it to the librarian. She then rushes to her room, makes herself and a few friends comfortable on her bed and begins to slowly turn the pages. As the girls become lost in the story, the joy on their faces is evident to all who pass by.
Thanks to the generous donations of many supporters, and the hard work the Calvary Church team from the USA last November, two very large book cabinets have been filled and organised with reading material for these children who, because they are “from a home”, are often left to use the most tattered and almost illegible textbooks that their local school owns, and are almost never allowed to read “story books” because they would “distract” from the children’s academic studies.
“Reading and listening to stories is an important part of children’s mental development,” says Ruth Henningham, Educational and Spiritual Advisor for Kids Alive Kenya. “Allowing these kids to read for pleasure will encourage their own creative development and ultimately help them perform better in school.”
Once the new dining room at the home is completed, the current dining room will be turned into a full-time library for the precious children of Mitaboni, and the staff hope to be able to build several more cabinets and fill them too with books and educational materials for the children - and home staff! - to enjoy!
The library at Mitaboni is the second of five libraries we hope to build (one in each of our homes in Kenya), by the end of 2013. “Education is the most important thing we are offering these kids”, says Purity Nyamu, National Director of KAK. “Eventually they will no longer live with us, but throughout their lives, no matter what happens, their education is something that will set them apart from others and it is something that no one can ever take away from them.”
Posted on January 21st 2013