This document provides an update on developments at the Kitengesa Community Library in Uganda over the past year. It discusses the completion of their new building, which now includes a computer center and community hall in addition to the main reading room. It describes efforts to replace lost and damaged books in both Luganda and English. It also discusses the library's work providing reading instruction and books to 450 local children each week through a partnership with nearby schools.

1. Kitengesa
Dear Friends: to pieces. We’ve lost some books over the years too,
so this year we’ve made a serious effort to replace
It is twelve years since Mawanda Emmanuel and both lost and damaged ones. We’ve also tried to get
I founded the Kitengesa Community Library as a some more Luganda books. That was fun, because a
box of books, and it is nine years since we moved friend of mine and I worked the street vendors along
Community Library
into our first building. Two years ago we moved Kampala Road. Most of their books are in English,
into our new building, which has a computer but when they learned we wanted Luganda ones
center and community hall in addition to the main they went scurrying around to look for them. They
October 2011
reading room. The building has been in a seemingly September 2010 were able to help us replace books, but, sadly, they could
interminable state of near-completion, but it is really more difficult one (the one closer to Dickens’ original offer us few new titles. Now we have to look for some
Dear Friends: finished now, lacking only some window
really nearly to employ him formore enjoyable.
three days a week, and he is already on Multilingualism and Education. It was a great
prose) easier and new titles in English.
glasses, mosquito netting, and paint. Thanks to your teaching typing skills on an old laptop and a few Alpha- experience for Gorreth and Elizabeth, it being their
generosity we have enough money back from finish the
Itʼs that time of year again: I am in hand to Uganda Smarts. In you about
I’m telling a recent e-mail Julius told me how much his Another difficulty we’veconference—wellyear concerns
first international encountered this worth the hardship
andjob, and we’relet you knowofficial opening of the whole
am eager to planning an about how things are new job means to him: “I am very very happy because
these titles because the of traveling by bus!
library scholars. In 2007 the government introduced
going at Kitengesa.
complex in January. now I know I will be able to save and top up on the …
they illustrate another “Universal Secondary Education” has been fully occupied with
Dan, our chief librarian, (USE), which means
Our main preoccupation, this year as last, has been tuition fees my friend decided to give me, so I think of it thatsupervising the like Kitengesa looking after the Canadian
it pays schools building and Comprehensive
the The physical development has been built the basic
construction of our new building. We as a great opportunity for me.” It is also a great oppor- Secondary School ahe continues his for every promoting
volunteers, but capitation grant work of student
structure in 2008 and in 2009 finished two rooms—the
remarkable—and most impressive tunity for the library, and for all those in Kitengesa who who gets a high enough forward this year hasLeaving
reading. A big step grade in the Primary been mak-
librarythe villagers—butroom that will eventually be a
to proper, and the the social and want to become proficient with computers. Exam. Initially we decided three nearby primary schools to
ing arrangements for to recruit our scholars from
educational development that the
computer center. This year our first priority was to build among those who did not receive this grant; but that during
send three classes each to the library every week
library has brought about is, I think, proved a bad policy, because the scholars were in each class,
toilets, and Iʼm happy to say that they are now com- school hours. Since there are fifty children not
more significant. In July I spent nearly as good as their predecessors. So now we’re
plete. Afri-Pads, the company that has converted our the library is now serving 450 children every week during
a whole week in Kitengesa, and recruiting from the whole student body again, and USE
old sitting in the library was able to see (and is employing
building into a tailoring workshop term time. This project was given a great boost in April
students receive the amount of their grant towards
some twentyhow it girls, including a couple of our former
much of local is used by different general education expenses. But the grant is nowhere (UgCLA).
by the Uganda Community Libraries Association
Library Scholars) has contributed thethe cost. So their girls
sectors of the community. On to A US-based funder, Pockets of Change, gave UgCLA
near enough to cover the costs
are Monday of that week everything the stalls—a great
now using and caring for one of funds to distribute arunning the school, so Mr. childrenʼs
of set of locally purchased
example of institutional collaboration at the local level.
was quiet at first, with only the books to ten member libraries. The distribution was
Mawanda has asked parents,
Otherwisescholars there sortingon finishing the third
library our focus has been out based on proposals that the libraries submitted, and
even of USE students, to make
room, which is to be troupe of primary Now the hall
books. But soon a a community hall. the Kitengesa library was one ofThe net result (I am the
a contribution. the winners. is
floor and walls arearrived, the verandah has a floor and
school children done, led by one interesting development Chairperson of UgCLA, but there was no conflict of inter-
that we, who are relieving the
ceiling, and the doors and window settled down on
of our Canadian volunteers. They frames have been in the library. When we est because the Pockets of Change directors made the
parents of these costs, must now
installed; but we still have to build to a story. Then a
their new mats in the hall to listen steps, paint the first started tracking decisions). These pay more forproved immensely popular,
books have each library scholar.
crowd of secondary school students came in, not the secondary school
walls, and finish the floors and windows. Only after and many of the children are (the coming to the
On average now fees differ for library
for a scheduled library period but because they had students’ preferences different years), it comes to $150
that will we be able to turn the hall and the compound on their own. Some of those children are featured in the
some free time. They were followed by another lot of with the box of books, per year. So, please, if you wish to
intoprimary school children coming for more story time;
an income-generating asset. the genre that we called
photograph on this page.
sponsor a scholar, can you send
Physical work on the computer center has been
and then the Women’s Group turned up to be taught The Lwannunda Womenʼs Group, which is closely as-
“Traditional Stories” was Thanks to your that amount?
us generous support, the library has
in abeyance this year. Weʼve been using thesundry as a
how to type on the computer. Meanwhile room young sociated with the most is also flourishing. The women
far and away the library, become an important local institution. But we are not
meeting had established themselves thethe tables and it
men space—and until we finish at hall we need presented a proposal to the UN One Per Cent Fund this
popular, with “Modern self-sufficient yet: we must tell, we the still and we
As you can finish are hall,
badly. However, reading. One finished the Luganda story
were quietly weʼre building our capacity to offer com- year, and as a result they now have 200 chairs which
Stories”—mostly stories set in present-day Africa— dependentcontinue to pay salaries we’re buy newspapers and
must on your generosity, though and moving towards
puter services by employing went of ourMojo the Street
Gattimpa Gatimpule and one on to most loyal library they cansecond. Now the library users’ tastes seem to
coming rent out to raise money for the many orphans self-sufficiency. Thank $5000 for bringing us this far. $3000 for
books. We need you all for the building and
users, Julius Ssentume, as a computer in King Arthur and
Boy; another was deeply absorbed assistant. Julius that they care for. Gorreth, into library assistant, began
have widened, particularly our the genre that we call recurrent expenses. Can you help us raise this money?
is a the Knights of the Round Table.institution, Kitengesa
former student of our partner Later in the week I met facilitating a Family Literacyexciting with for Igroup last
“Classics.” Interesting, and Project too, the believe Kate Parry
Comprehensive was reading Alice and is now beginning
another who Secondary School, in Wonderland (it was year.we are here witnessing the April in of what have a
that She took some time off in growth order to Kate Parry
Hunter College, CUNY
to study part-time at he said), and still later onein Masaka
“very interesting,” Mutesa I Royal University came Ugandans call “a reading culture.”
baby—an adorable little boy named Precious—but the Hunter College, CUNY
to ask me about the difference between two editions
town. He had no computer skills to begin with, but he has group was eager to resume and is now romping through Please make checks out to FAVL (Friends of African
of the same book that he was reading. The book was Of course, we can’t expect everything to be plain sailing. Village Libraries) and mail them to FAVL, P Box 90533,
.O.
been learning everything that he can from the volunteers another unit based on material supplied to me by the Please make checks out to FAVL (Friends of African
Great Expectations, in two simplified versions, and, The increased numbers of primary school children using San Jose, CA 95109-3533. Write “Kitengesa Community
thatinterestingly enough, he was findingsends to Kitengesa
the University of British Columbia the supposedly South African Familyour booksProject. rapidly read
the library mean that
Literacy are being Village Libraries) and mail them to FAVL, P.O. Box
Library” on the memo line of the check. Thank you!
so that by now he has become quite an expert. The two Gorreth and I, together with a Makerere student 90533, San Jose, CA 95109-3533. Write “Kitengesa
researchers who visited Kitengesa last year have gener- named Elizabeth Kirabo, went to Nairobi in July Community Library” on the memo line of the check.
ously provided a fellowship for him so that we can afford to make a presentation about the project at a conference Thank you!