Reach for the Stars: A Senegalese Community Library

Year: 2013
Country: Senegal
Project Status: Funded
Impact Sector: Health
Project Investment: $3,391.40

Project Launch:

This project will result in the establishment of a library space in the village of Medina Sabakh, focused on education, community outreach and improving French-literacy of students and the wider community. In area with steadily increasing literacy rates, a library is in high-demand for both students and the general public. Textbooks will be purchased across a variety of subjects and the library will run regular book clubs and other educational activities. In addition, librarians will be trained to manage the space, providing local employment opportunities.

 

Project Update:


The library is officially open for public use, a librarian has been successfully trained, and the books have been acquired and organized, more books than originally planned. Teachers have been using the books within their classrooms, and students have been very proactive, with either using the books within the library facilities, or taking the books home. Overall, this project has promoted learning and reading within the community and has engaged the students by encouraging reading outside the classroom.

This project also caught the attention of some of World Connect’s youngest constituents who participate in the organization’s Kids Connect program, which promotes global citizenship and global service. At Bay View Academy in Rhode Island, students raised hundreds of dollars for this project by holding both a bake sale and donut sale.

 

Testimonials


“Walking into the library now, seeing the shelves full of books, the tables packed with students reading/studying in their place, and a long line of students waiting to take out or return books is so rewarding. These students are trying to absorb as much as possible from the library.” – Jacqueline, Peace Corps Volunteer
“This project has provided students with the opportunity to read and reinforce their learning. Before, there were no books. Children learned about literature by professors writing the plot on the board. They’d memorize this information and be tested on it; that’s not reading. Now they have access to the books. They can come take out the books from the library and read them. They can also reinforce their studies with textbooks in the library. They can either sit in the library or take the books home. Now they have no excuse not to do well in school. And you can see that the students are taking advantage of this. The library is always packed with students. Between classes, lots of students sit in the library. If they returned home, they would just fool around or be put to work, but now they’re using their two hour break time between classes to learn.” – Bouna, Project Leader
“The library is wonderful. It allows us to really learn the material presented in class. We can come and have extra exercises to practice and be sure that we succeed on the exams.” – High School Student, Project Beneficiary