Friends of African Village Libraries Newsletter November 2013

Address: P.O. Box 90533, San Jose, CA 95109-3533 website: www.favl.org email: info@favl.org

Generous donors have enabled FAVL

to establish and continuously manage 18

libraries in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Tanza-

nia, and Uganda. FAVL also supports

the Uganda Community Library Associ-

ation, with 64 member libraries.

Current fundraising priorities:

Building an endowment for each of the

FAVL-managed community libraries

Renewing stock of locally-purchased

books by African authors

Producing more micro-books in local

languages and each country’s language

of instruction to encourage a culture of

reading Friends of African Village Libraries is a

501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit.

West Africa Director Michael Kevane

Associate Professor of Economics

Santa Clara University

mkevane@scu.edu

East Africa Director Kate Parry

Professor of English

Hunter College

City University of New York

kateparry2@earthlink.net

Popular Book Series Enlivens FAVL Libraries

The 6-volume series of the best-selling

graphic novel Aya of Yopougon, written

by Marguerite Abouet (from Ivory

Coast) and illustrated by Clément

Oubrerie, has drawn an enthusiastic

response from readers throughout West

Africa. The books have been highly

popular among FAVL readers and li-

brarians.

Thanks to the generosity of numerous

donors, FAVL raised $1500 to purchase

a complete set of the books for each of

the thirteen libraries in Burkina Faso.

The series depicts the daily life of Aya,

a compassionate, opinionated and ambi-

tious young woman who prefers to

study at home rather than go out party-

ing with her girlfriends.

Recently, a new movie based on the

books was screened in Burkina’s

capital city, Ouagadougou. FAVL took

the opportunity to hold a mini workshop

with a group of FAVL librarians. They

collaboratively drafted a guide for li-

brarians to lead discussion groups.

The FAVL-Burkina librarians have

been promoting the books and hosting

discussion groups with village teens.

Many teens reflected on how they might

make better choices, in order to avoid

some of the challenging situations that

Aya's friends find themselves in.

Souleymane Tingueri (above right), FAVL’s

newest Librarian at Kiembara, writes in his re-

view that many of the problems woven into the

plot are caused by poor communication between

young people and their parents. He believes that

this book can be a catalyst for greater awareness

and more open dialogue.

Alou Koundaba (at right), FAVL Librarian in

Béléhédé concludes his own review with these

words: Dear readers, reading this book enables

you to make behavior changes and a better to-

morrow. Thank you to GlobalGiving for the Aya

de Yopougon books!

From Kate Parry, FAVL Co-Director for East Africa and

the Director of UgCLA, FAVL’s partner organization in

Uganda

Since 2011, the Uganda Community Libraries Association

(UgCLA) has been collaborating with the British charity

Book Aid International in a project called “Transforming

Community Libraries.” Each of the twenty participating

libraries received several hundred books and an award of

1000 British pounds. UgCLA’s role was to select the librar-

ies through a proposal-writing competition, train the librari-

ans on how to use and account for the money, and carry out

field visits to make sure that the grants are used responsibly.

In each of the twenty libraries, the effects have been truly

transformative. Some highlights: The Six Community Li-

brary at Busia, which started as virtually nothing, has be-

come a building well-stocked with books; the shabby little

room used by the Christian Community Foundation at Bududa is now a furnished, brightly-painted library full of activity; the Bu-

solwe Public Library’s new tent can accommodate children without disturbing older students who are looking for a quiet place to

study. All the librarians have gained experience and UgCLA’s capacity and prestige have been greatly enhanced.

Book Aid International is now seeking funds to set up children’s corners in 60 libraries in 60 countries, including Uganda. If that

project is funded, UgCLA will have the opportunity to work more closely with Uganda’s public library network and will receive

valuable training for its librarians. So wish Book Aid success in their fundraising!

Project Transforms Twenty Libraries in Uganda

Summer Reading Camps Celebrate 6 Years of Success A total of 175 children participated with enthusiasm in the sixth edition of FAVL’s ever- popular reading camps at the libraries of

Béréba, Dimikuy, Koumbia, Pobé and Béléhédé. The campers spent a week immersed in reading activities, games and art projects.

One of the many benefits is that improving reading and writing skills helps the students succeed in the upcoming middle-school

entrance exam, which determines whether they will be able to continue with their education.

The librarians ran the camps for the first time this year. To prepare them for this chal-

lenge, the Regional Coordinator and the Regional Activities Facilitator, Dounko

Sanou and Alidou Boué, organized a “training camp” where each librarian led ses-

sions under their close supervision. The librarians definitely stepped up as camp co-

ordinators, and Dounko and Alidou noticed a remarkable difference in their self-

assurance and skills.

Big thanks to former Peace Corps volunteers Emilie Crofton and Alison Wallace, and

also Lynn Dunn, who helped fund the reading camps. Alison and Lynn created the

“Love of Learning” scholarship program for 20 high school girls in Béréba and Dimi-

kuy villages. The girls serve as library interns, working closely with the librarians to

organize regular activities for primary school children. As Reading Camp Assistants

(photo at left), they tutored the weakest readers and helped the kids create and per-

form skits about hand washing, HIV/AIDS and female circumcision.

Help us keep all of these programs going!

Read the easy and creative ideas on the green insert in this newsletter.

Kitengesa Library Awarded for

Innovative Work with Deaf Students

Newest Library Opens in Kiembara

Ghana After-School Programs

Help Students Break Through Barriers

Teachers and librarians report that students in the After-School

programs at FAVL’s three community libraries in Ghana are be-

coming much better readers and devoted library users. Some have

even been inspired to make different plans for their futures.

The programs at Sumbrungu, Gowrie-Kunkua and Sherigu are

funded by the Chen-Yet Sen Family Foundation based in Hong

Kong. Fifteen primary and junior high students at each library

worked with a teacher and librarian four afternoons a week for a

full month, reading together and doing skill-building activities

targeted to their needs, as well as a variety of fun and challenging

word games. The program will last eight months.

The Coordinator of FAVL’s Ghana libraries, Cletus Yine, said,

"At first, some of the kids were shy and afraid to read in front of

their fellow students, but now most of them can stand boldly in

front of the group and read aloud without fear.”

Pictured above are Rejoice Salifu and Blessing Atiah Atampoka,

in the after-school program in Gowrie.

Blessing says she’d never visited the library because she feared

she’d be kicked out for not knowing how to use the materials.

Relieved to discover that the librarian is in fact very helpful, and

newly confident in her skills, she continues to be a regular visitor

even after completing the program.

Rejoice reports that her favorite book during the program was

Folaké and Her Four Brothers, about a young girl who dreams of

going to the university. She admires Foulaké’s determination to

pursue her education before marriage, and to get a job so she

won’t have to depend on her husband for everything.

Both girls say that they’re now planning to have careers as Eng-

lish teachers when they grow up.

The Jackie Quesada-Kiembara Village Library in Burkina Faso

opened its doors to the community in September. What once

was an abandoned building with a leaky roof has been revital-

ized into an attractive, welcoming reading space. A courtyard

with a tin roof provides much-needed shade for outdoor reading

programs.

The library was brought to life through the united efforts of the

community of Kiembara and the generosity of the family and

friends of Jackie Quesada, a Peace Corps volunteer in Kiembara

from 2006 to 2008. When she suddenly passed away in 2012,

her family wanted to honor her memory and her love for the

people of Kiembara. They made a proposal to FAVL, and orga-

nized efforts to raise $15,000 for the building renovation, pur-

chase of books and furni-

ture, and provide a 5-year

endowment.

The new librarian, Soul-

eymane Tingueri (at right)

traveled to Dohoun for a

two-week training with

experienced FAVL li-

brarians. Very impressed

with FAVL’s approach

and training, Souleymane

says, “I take my hat off to

FAVL and its donors, in

great appreciation for the experience this gives me.”

The “Innovation Award for Social Inclusion” from Electronic

Information for Libraries (EIFL) was awarded in April to the

Kitengesa Community Library in Uganda for its work with the

children at the neighboring Good Samaritan School for the Deaf.

The award included a grant of $1500, which the library used to

buy Sign Language Dictionaries, host a sign language workshop

for parents of the deaf students, and initiate a Library Scholar-

ship for one student from the Good Samaritan School for the

Deaf. The deaf Library Scholar will help run the library’s sign

language club (which already has 20 members!) and will join

the team of other Library Scholars from the nearby secondary

school whose tasks

include helping keep

the library clean and

hosting visitors.

The Good Samaritan

students are now

frequent library visi-

tors. At right: two

deaf students reading

a poem painted on

the library wall.

Friends of African Village Libraries

P.O. Box 90533

San Jose, CA 95109-3533 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

The graphic novel series

Aya of Yopougon has taken

West Africa by storm! The

six-volume set is now in

all thirteen FAVL libraries

in Burkina Faso — to the

delight of teen and adult

readers alike, including

this secondary school

reader at the Dimikuy

Community Library.

Author Marguerite Abouet

and illustrator Clément

Oubrerie recently visited

Ouagadougou, and met

with FAVL librarians.

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