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African Insights Blog–Newsletter

February 2009

Awaken a Child-Growing through the reading of Books

Start a Library in Africa

As I am writing at my home I can hear children reciting the Alphabet at a small nearby school called Saint Andrew’s Nursery and Primary Day School.  The children learn mostly by rote, things are repeated again and again until they stick, much as I was taught in my early school years in my native Germany.  There is however one big difference. Books,  from my very early childhood I was surrounded by books, books were everywhere, even though it was shortly after 2nd World War, there were books at home, at school, a town library, private lending libraries all filled with novels, history books, books on travel, biographies and autobiographies and much more. At Saint Andrew’s there are not even enough textbooks to go around, much less books for reading such as I enjoyed while growing up.

This morning, six-year-old Sarah Nabakaawa trudged off to school this morning at 7am for the short walk to Saint Andrew’s School, her backpack had her breakfast, an exercise book with her homework and a pencil.  My schoolbag, had such things, but usually some of the books I was currently reading, books that during some of the tough times of growing up allowed me to dream, to imagine, gave me ideas, allowed me grow within, giving me a desire to become, to emulate the adventures, the virtues I was reading about.

Sarah and children like her at Saint Andrew’s have just a few tattered textbooks that are shared by many students. There is a dictionary in each classroom but there are no books to read for enjoyment, for inner growth.  There is only the ritual of learning through repetition, and Sarah is not alone, most children in Uganda experience the same situation.  Libraries in school are not often there.  If you across one in a school, it will most likely be behind lock and key protected from the hearts and minds of children.

Reading is not a part of Ugandan culture.  Reading of books is not a part of the education of children in Uganda.  You read in order to pass exams, from grade school onto University you rarely find a Ugandan with book in hand except as it applies to the curriculum. (For centuries, stories were passed down orally in the form of stories, but even that is fading away as people are glued to the TV screen watching Nigerian Movies that have taken Africa by storm.)

Just think for a moment of the pleasures you have received from reading a book, the laughter, the joy, the tears, and the inspiration to become to grow into.  Without a book, most of us are lost.  In the USA, I live in the Northwest where we read more per capita than any other place in the USA.  You can find a bookstore most anywhere but not  here in Uganda.

Here in Uganda, bookstores are something of a novelty, there is less than 10 in a city of 2 million. When I recently wanted some new reading material, no one could direct me to a close-by bookstore.  When it comes to Ugandan writers, there are but a handful and most of them live outside of the country in places like the Netherlands, USA and the UK where people like to read.  If you mention the name of one of the author here, you get a blank stare.

Reading is simply not part of the Ugandan culture.  There were no lines at any Ugandan bookstore  for the latest  “Harry Potter” book, there were no out of stocks, the Harry Potter books  simply sat on the  shelf collecting dust awaiting someone to buy them, while in the West people camped out in front of stores the night before awaiting another adventure in reading.

Sarah Nabakaawa has come back home from school, she is back in her small house after a long day at Saint Andrew’s. She is sitting down doing herSaint Andrew School gets a library in Kampala, Uganda homework by filling in the blanks, drawing some small pictures. There are no books to help her, no text books, no books for enjoyment that actually would help her not only grow within but teach her practical things such as spelling of words, reading and improve her use of the English language. 

Children in Africa, in places such as Uganda need books to grow by; they need to be able to access to libraries since there is usually no money available for the purchase of books even if there were plenty of bookstores.  Teachers need to do a turn around in their thinking when it comes to schools with libraries that books are to be used by children not kept in a locked case away from those who could benefit by reading books.

It does happen here and there and the results are a series of miracles, of children growing, becoming better students, gaining knowledge, gaining insights into life and a release of imagination that is so important in the learning and growing up process.

When you do find a library in a school, often the books that are donated in the west and are not the kind that gets children excited and are relevant to an African child.

Can one obtain books for children in Uganda?  The answer is a resounding yes.  There are at least two publishers of books here and they publish some books for children.  Books can also be obtained from nearby Kenya, books that inspire the hearts of children.  The cost of such books is much lower than shipping books from the west and can be purchased in the shortest of time.

A library in a school such as Saint Andrews, a library that would touch about 200 children costs a mere $1000 to $2000 dollars.  Two thousand dollars would buy hundreds of relevant paperback books, shelves for the books and whatever else is needed to set up a school library that empowers the minds and hearts of children.  In the west $2000 dollars would be like a drop into a bucket, here it would go to work transforming lives such as Sarah’s through books.

You or a group could sponsor a library for this school or for others like it, all in need of books for the children that attend here.

Any money donated to this project would be directed through the non-profit agency Ambassadors of Hope International and if you are an US resident you would receive a receipt for a tax deduction.

From Kampala…listening to the children reciting the ABC’s…jon

The Children of Africa Section

Stories of African Children, Pictures of African Children, Life for children in Africa

Africa's Children-Struggling to SurviveAfrica's Children Struggling to Survive:  Life is a daily struggle for the children of Africa.  The things we take for granted in the west are often simply absent.  From nutrition to hygiene, from education to the lack of books for reading, find out what life is like for the children of Africa.

Meet Monie and LeakeyMeet Monie and Leakey:  Two children and their stories.  Two different countries, Monie in Rwanda and Leakey in Kenya, but the struggle to survive is similar.  One a child of an unjust war that resulted in a genocide, the other child a boy of the streets in Nairobi.  Both give you insight into the daily lives of children in Africa.

You will be glad to have read these two stories.

A boy like mePeter - a boy just like me: The story of an African Boy and his triumph against all odds.  Peter came from a slum in Eldoret in Kenya.  His story is tragic, but profound.  Thrown away at the time of his birth, raised by a grandmother, sleeping for days without food, and yet there is a strong will to survive.

Life in a Kampala Neighborhood

Life in a Kampala Neighborhood:  I spent some months living in an area of Kampala where you will not many a western person. My home, was in a small courtyard where one of the children I became friends with was Axum.  An account of what life is like for people in Kampala, Uganda and how children live in tough times.

A day in a school in Africa - Kampala UgandaA day in a School in Africa:  A day at Saint Andrew's Nursery and Primary School in Kampala, Uganda.  Get a feel of what school is like in a Kampala neighborhood. Get a feel of what school life is like for a child at Saint Andrew's Nursery and Primary in Kansanga, Kampala, Uganda.

Life Saving Medicine - Soap and Water:  Death comes to thousands of children in Africa, all it takes to prevent it is soap and water.  What people do not realize is that soap and water will eliminate 40% of children's sicknesses and diseases.  The best medicine for African children is simple soap and water.  The problem is access to water, besides water in many cases costs money and has to be carried a distance, so you avoid using it, even for washing of hand in the case of children.

Aids and the children of AfricaAids and the Children of Africa:  Each day more children become orphans because of the ravages of AIDS.  Many children are born being HIV positive and life ahead of them is simply tragic.  The emotional scars, the inner and outer pain is great for the children of Africa. 

Culture – Patriarchal Ways and Education of Girls:  African Parents are deeply concerned for the education of their children.  Boys are pushed to be educated, girls on the other hand, if there is a lack of funds, they just might be the first to stay home.  The poorer the family, the bigger the chance that the girls in the family will stay home and help at home. 67% of girls in slums drop out of school while only 38% of boys do so.

Born in Africa - Born in the USABorn in the USA and Born in Africa -Where you are born, determines how you live:  For most children born in Africa, life is simply tougher than being born in the west.  Life for a child in Africa is simply a struggle.  From the moment of birth life becomes a fight for survival.

 

The children of the LRAThe children of the LRA:  This section deals with the children of Northern Uganda.  Find out about Child soldiers of the LRA, what happens to abducted children, the children who evaded captivity by becoming night commuters, the stories of abducted children.  The person behind the abductions of children, Joseph Kony.

Bugolobi Church for ChildrenThey just keep on coming:  There is Church and then there the unique, one of a kind church for children in the Bugolobi area of Kampala. It is amazing sight as children  stream in rain or shine to come to church.  They come mostly from slum areas nearby, but quite a few walk several miles to come to church on a Sunday morning.

Children born into slumsChildren born into Slums:  A child that is born into a slum in Africa does not have much of a chance in life.  From day to day survival which ranges access to clean water and food to education, it is all about money.  The future for such a child means being locked into the cycle of poverty and rarely is there a  way out for such a child.

Children - Born into slums-The Solution=Education:  How do you help a child in a slum in Africa?  Education is the solution and even with education alone there is no guarantee since  here in Africa getting a job, any job is simply tough, without an education there is no hope for a meaningful future and a breaking of the cycle of poverty.

Children Born into Slums - Child Sponsorship:  Sponsor a Child in a slum in Kampala.  His or her parents have no money to help and assist their children.  There is not enough money even for food, at times for water, at times to pay to go to a latrine.  Life is simply tough. When it comes to education, children stay at home, work around the house, take care of the other children and miss out on being a child.

Send a book to a child in AfricaSend a book to a Child in Africa:  If you go into a home in Uganda, one thing that will be absent are books.  In Kampala there are only about five book stores to be found.  Children grow up not reading.  The power and of the dream and imagination is simply not released in the life of a child.  Your donation of some books could and would make a difference in the life of a child living in a slum, where books are the last things one thinks about.

The children of Africa in PicturesAfrican Children Photo Album:  The pictures of Africa's Children tell their story. One can read the stories on this site, but when you see the pictures of the children of Africa, your heart simply melts.  Meet the children of Africa through pictures.  There are lots of pages for you to peruse and enjoy.

Make a difference in the life of a childMake a difference in the Life of a Child:  It is one thing to read about the children of Africa, look at the picture, but coming here and being with the children is most awesome thing one can experience.  Not only will you make a difference in the life of a child, but a difference in your own life.  One to two weeks that will be life changing.

What can I do?What can I do?  This is a question that I am often asked, here are some practical answers as to how you can help and assist the children of Africa.  One of the most inspiring ways is coming here to spend a few weeks and visit.  It is one of the best investments you can ever make.

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Last updated: 04 March 2010

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