She HUMBLED me. Yes!

With a few transparent plastic shopping bags in her hands, she pushed the door halfway, stuck her head though it and asked me a mundane question "Hello. Do you have any greeting cards?". I said "Actually just a few odd ones. But guess what? If you find any that you like, you can take them for FREE". She came into the store while I walked up to the shelves to pullout the three small wicker baskets of unwanted cards kept under a bookshelf. "Have a seat while I pull them out for you to look at". She laid out her bags on the floor, sat at the edge of my red couch probably wondering what the catch was about these "free" cards! I did not mind her much as she flipped through these cards. After a few minutes she asked "Sir, do you have any free books?" For a moment I thought "Talk about greed here!" I replied "Well, you can't have everything for free. Can you? You got to pay for the books at least". She muttered "Sorry. I was just asking as I am collecting some books for a library". The phone rang I attended to a customer or two, unmindful of what she had just told me.

After a while this woman waved out two cards which she picked out and I said "I am glad you found something. What cards did you pick?". "Oh! It is a wedding anniversary card for my boss". From behind the counter I said "That's good". Then I went across to put back the baskets under the shelf as it was blocking the passage to the door. She got up, picked up her bags and was about to leave when as an afterthought I asked "By the way, what was that library you talking about"? She sat down again, ruffled through one of her bags, pulled out a few colored sheets of paper and handed them to me saying "This is the library I am trying to set up". One had a FB page header and at first glance I thought to myself "Haven't I seen countless such initiatives on FB". Everyone is "sharing" or "forwarding" some such thought or idea. I passed it off and looked at the other paper which had a picture of a few kids reading in a little room with one shelf arranged with a few dozen books with title covers facing forward. There were few balloons strung up too! Now. Did I just see a Hollywood magazine on the rack? Yes! Certainly a strange assortment of books.

As my second name is Curiosity I asked "Where are you from". She said GAMBIA. Gambia? I almost heard it as Zambia. I knew so little of Gambia except that it was a small country tucked away somewhere on the African Continent. Never to pass of acquiring first hand information about anything - and I mean anything and everything, I parked myself then and there on the narrow edge of a wooden box. It sure helps to be thin!

How many of us have met a Gambian in Kuwait or anywhere else for that matter? She was my first. There are just a handful of Gambians in Kuwait and I was more curious about the country and what she was doing so far from home. A hundred questions must have followed thereafter. What I heard thereafter cut me down to size. My jaw must have dropped a few times in awe. I actually stood up and said "Amie. I am humbled and I feel so small next to you."

AMIE (continued)

Amie has lived and worked in Kuwait for 16 years. She is fairly well spoken and with a cheerful disposition. Aside from her work, she collects books for a free library she is setting up in Banjul, the capital city of Gambia for underprivileged children. (Remember that Gambia is an impoverished country and there is little to go around. Per Capita income of just about $ 500 US per year - as compared $45,000US in Kuwait). Her life's calling is to set up small libraries for children and adults all over Gambia where there are just one or two public libraries and new books are expensive. (Gambia is little over half the size of Kuwait). With a little helping hand in Kuwait she shipped the first small consignment of books which she collected to set up her first free library (around 6 months ago) for children in her neighborhood. One 4 x 3 meters room filled with just over 400 books. From the photographs she showed me, I could see a few shelves of books, a table, four plastic chairs, and even a few balloons sticking to the roof. The room for the library is rented and paid by her. The furnishing and all the fixtures were paid for by own self. Now, she is on the mission to collect more books in English / French / Arabic (Major languages in Gambia) and that is why she first asked me if I had any free books. She even has a FB page promoting reading and also a basic website to highlight her cause. We have all heard of similar initiatives now and then but nothing to raise an eyebrow about.

So, why is Amie different? Why did my jaws drop? It dropped the moment I heard that she works as a DOMESTIC HELPER in Kuwait. YES. She has worked for the same Kuwaiti family for 16 years and I gather that they treat her well. Her Kuwaiti employers helped her collect most of the books through family and relatives. Yet, she paid 160KD for the shipment to Gambia herself, pays rents of about 8KD each month for the library, has paid for everything else FROM HER OWN PURSE. There is no electricity in the library and the doors close before dusk. She cannot afford to connect electricity. Her sister (a full time mother with four kids) who lives in the neighborhood keeps it open for now as they cannot to hire anyone to keep the library open during the day light hours. When asked what happens if your sister cant do it anymore she said I will have to pay out of my own pocket to hire someone. How long can you afford to do this Amie? She replied I know it will be difficult. So I want to start a tailoring center again with my own money so I can employ a few local women, and the profits from this will be routed to running the library. The kids who come to the library will even get their school uniforms for free. This way, their parents will encourage them to read and come to the library as well. I said Do you really think you can do all this? She added Dreams are for free isnt it?. I was at loss for words.

A distant relative helped her put up a website and the FB page which she manages. She said she did not receive a single KD as cash for this project. Neither has she asked for money. (I spoke to her Kuwaiti employers the day after I met her and the lady of the household confirmed all this and said how proud they are of what Amie was doing). All her emails to charitable organizations to support here initiative and this little library with books was passed off with replies such as "We only deal with organizations" "We will send you the books but you pay the shipping and clearance of over $15,000 US". One wanted to send Spanish books, some appreciated her, and others simply disregarded her mails. (She forwarded me all these emails). Amie did not go past secondary school as her mother could not afford to educate her any further. Her mother sells vegetables on streets of Banjul. When I asked her how she learned to speak English this well she replied "Each morning my mother would turn on BBC radio so that we would learn English and educate ourselves."

When questioned why did she not ask for money as well she replied "I just need books and little things that I can give the poor children like coloring books, crayons, note books, school bags etc. which would be an incentive for them to read. I will work and save my money to support the library. I want to help these children with what I did not have, or get when I was a child. I want to help raise my country. I want to make this world a better place". What a resolve and how so inspiring and uplifting. I almost felt a tear in my eye.

After she left the store, I measured myself and asked "What have I done so far?" I had almost no answer to this. Till then, I thought I was doing a good deed by starting a bookstore. In reality all I was doing was listening to music, chat up with the customers, drink coffee, give away a free book now and then, and consort with all the beautiful women who came into the bookstore!! And here was a woman, someone we could all pass off on the streets every day, reaching beyond herself and her own circumstances, digging deep into her purse, and doing something I could never dream of.

She truly HUMBLED me.

How far would we go to make a little difference in someone else's life and do it unselfishly? What would we sacrifice to make this world a better place?? Amie is doing her bit doing SO MUCH with SO LITTLE. What about you?

Q8books is definitively going to do something for Amie. Would you?

Gambia - What can one do?

Many readers of my previous post on Amie have offered to help and asked how this could be done. I am putting out a few thoughts on my own on how best to support this noble initiative and also lessen her own burdens. That by our own giving, even it is just in a very small way, we too can plant little seeds of hope in the lives of children and people who are far less fortunate than us. Just so to assure the readers, this story has been rechecked and verified by various parameters and in the best way I know how. This included speaking to her employers, reading all the emails that she had exchanged with other small organizations, photographs, research, and also getting the opinions of my other friends who met her. The story sticks. This is only stated to dispel the usual reluctance that comes to people to back such causes where they are not directly involved, or not able to see for themselves.

It is also worth mentioning that this project will be an ongoing one and the new owners of Q8books have pledged full and continued support to this cause. So whatever is started here will be carried forward in the same spirit.

As I know, there is less than 400 books in the library. Just so readers will know, it is a FREE library for poor children. Here is how you can help.

Reading BOOKS for CHILDREN in English / French / Arabic (For ages 15 and less)- Preferably board books and hard cover books for young children. - If they are soft covers, it would help if they are covered by plastic wrap used for covering books. This would minimize wear and tear from children who would handle them each day. - If you do not have these plastic wrappers on the books, you could donate a roll or two along with the books. You can easily find it in most stationery stores in Kuwait. - Please ensure that the donated books are in GOOD CONDITION. It would reflect poorly on us if torn and tattered books went from Kuwait to Gambia!- So as to personalize the book donated, there is a plan to insert a sticker onto each book. If you wish to place your name on the book, please leave your name on a little slip note and place it on the group of books you donate or even inside each of them. This however, is only a suggestion.

Other than MONEY, the following items are required. These are mainly intended as incentives to children to come to the library and to encourage them to read. Coloring books - New or unused ones onlyPencil cases - only those in good conditionCrayons - Unused or lightly used ones onlyPens and Pencils - NewNote Books - New or unused ones only

Every effort will be made to see that all CASH donations will be managed TRANSPARENTLY and will ONLY go towards directly supporting the operations of the Library in Banjul. After all, books alone do not make up a library. Cost of shipping books, rent, wages for one person to keep the library open, incidental overhead costs, electricity, etc. Right now there is no electric connection and Amie has little money to install a meter and pay for the charges for one room each month. To the best of my knowledge, this could be the only library in the entire world where there is no electricity. This would be a priority.

In line with Amie's own plans to make the library self supporting through running a small tailoring unit and the profits ploughed back into the library, cash donations which exceed two years of operational expenses will also be allocated to this project. Over and above this (if at all), money will be allocated to start another small library in another part of Banjul. Of course, first things first.All cash donations will be reflected on a public page on FB dedicated to the Gambian Project. If and when people desire anonymity, the last five digits of their civil ID number will be reflected against the amount given. This way, everyone is reasonably assured that their money is accounted for and does not disappear into some abyss or into someone's pocket. A project status report about the library will appear on this page periodically. All this is done ONLY as a measure of legitimacy to this initiative and the funds collected.

Feel free to provide opinions and suggestions. Remember, that this entire exercise is for and about the poor children, the library, and about Amie's selfless efforts to do something about it. Our role, at best, is to give - and to give with an open heart. Nothing is too small, nor will it go unappreciated.

Q8books will be happy to receive any of the above in the current location in Kuwait City. Please drop us a mail for information or clarification. For legal reasons, I must state that this is NOT a public solicitation. It is only for those who have been touched by Amie's story and want to extend a helping hand by their own accord.