10:24am
Hello Everyone! It has been many years since I showed up on your doorstep with my Girl Scout uniform on selling cookies, or discount cards for choir, or wrapping paper for school field trips, or any number of fundraising goodies to support my own educational opportunities. Now I’m figuratively knocking on your door for the educational opportunities of 60,000+ children all over Swaziland. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have been working with another Peace Corps Volunteer to get a shipment of 30,000 books sent from the US to Swaziland to start or improve 30 rural school or community libraries. To accomplish this goal, I need your help.
We invited Peace Corps volunteers to distribute the application forms to all of their schools that would be interested in receiving 1,000 books for their library, a 1 day training for the teacher/librarian, AND the opportunity to travel to the nearest National Branch Library to observe, learn, and form a resource connection with their nearest professional librarian. Thirty schools and community institutions were chosen this past week out of these applications to participate in this program. Three of those applications are from my personal community: Makhava Primary School, Zamokuhle Primary School, and Hlushwana Primary School. I notified the Head Teachers this morning, and during one phone call I heard the Deputy Head Teacher in the background saying, “We are SO HAPPY!!” Of course, so am I. :-)
This project is not without its contribution from the schools. During the long, end of year / summer / holiday break (Dec 3rd – Jan 23rd) all the schools will be working hard to clean out and improve a secure space for the books, construct shelving, and meet with their newly formed committees to discuss library operations and policies. At the beginning of the new term, each school must contribute E1,500 (~ $200) for the training accommodations, book storage building while we sort the shipment, and the in-country expenses for the books (ie Customs). The Peace Corps Volunteer and appointed school librarian will take a trip during February to the nearest National Library, where they will fill out a form of questions to make sure they receive the experience needed to peak interest, motivation, dedication, and learn new skills for this project. Tentatively the training, which is one of my contributions to the organizing of this project, is scheduled for February 25th.
While all that is going on in Swaziland, we are hoping and praying that our family, friends, neighbors, previous co-workers, and complete strangers donate as little or as much as they can to get those books, which everyone is working hard for the arrival of, onto the library shelves of Swaziland schools. Honestly, 33¢ can get one book (like the favorites: “If You Give a Mouse A Cookie” or “The Runaway Rabbit” or “insert your favorite childhood book”) into the hands of little ones who currently know books and reading materials as boring text books or, sadly but true, toilet paper in the pit latrines! How many childhood favorites could you share? Another way to think about it is that $1 will get all 30,000 books 1 mile closer to Swaziland! How far could you get them?
If you can help in this huge and amazing project, which I feel blessed to be a part of, go to www.peacecorps.gov and click on the link to “Donate to a Volunteer Project”. You can search for this project by country (Swaziland) or by Volunteer (Golden from TX). Every penny goes toward this project and it is also tax refundable! The books get shipped out as soon as the money is raised. All I want for Christmas is THIS! Save postage on an international Christmas card and help get a massive crate of books 1 mile closer!
From the 912 kids in my 3 schools alone – Thank You!
School children in front of Makhava Primary School
The empty classroom that will be renovated and turned into a beautiful library at Makhava Primary School!!!!
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