Saint Andrew's is a school of about 150 some student.  It is located just behind my house and starting at 7 am I can hear children singing, dancing reciting and now if I look over my wall, I can catch them reading.

Back in February I wrote a newsletter - blog about starting a library and specifically for Saint Andrew's Primary School.  A school just behind my house.  Parts of it look like a chicken coop.  It has no electricity, there are two pit latrines and the little ones have to use buckets.  With such dismal facts, you know they do not have a library. 

There were no children books, not even text books for children, except the ones that the teacher had for instruction of the class.  Children come from the neighborhood and the neighborhood where I live by choice is an upscale slum.  The school fees run 20 USD a term, then you have to bring 4 rolls of toilet paper, 12 exercise books, 12 pencils, at times a small broom. 

The people who live around me do not have much money, many of them have no jobs, if they have one, it is usually less than a hundred dollars a month.  Rent around here runs 30 to 40 dollars on average, food, electricity, water, there is nothing left for books for children.  Go into any house around here and you might find a Koran or Bible, a photo Album, some old magazine, but that is it.

There are 5 book stores in a town of over 3 million people, Uganda is not a  reading culture.  Children simply do not read for enjoyment, instead if there is a TV they sit there glued to the screen for hours, but the mind, the inner spirit, the imagination is never released.

This Tuesday on 2nd of June, Saint Andrew's Primary School received a library.  The Headmaster knew nothing about it, since you do not promise anything in Ugandan society unless you have it in hand.  A team from Appalachia State University in North Carolina came to Saint Andrew's School with suitcases of books, everyone was excited, the children were gathered around, tables assembled and the books were placed on them.

The children did not realize what the books meant for them.  A lending library is a virtual unknown here.  Some schools have books, but they are under lock and key, to be admired but not to be used.  These books are going to be used over and over again and allow the children of that little school to dream and to become, hopefully breaking the cycle of poverty through education.

All because a woman in North Carolina received my newsletter about starting a library for a school in Uganda.  Professor Tiffany Christian who was leading another team to Uganda volunteered to bring some books for that school and this Tuesday it was Christmas at Saint Andrew's...a library had arrived, brought by people from America...or as the headmaster said "Obama's Country" and every child smiled...some probably thinking that President Obama himself send those books...no matter what...today there is library, where last week there was nothing...and today I heard children reading from some of the books as I sat outside and could hear the chatter over the wall...nice...sorry I moved...from Kampala...jon 

• Saint Andrew's School in Kampala in Pictures

• Saint Andrew's gets a facelift in Pictures

 

 

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