Building Libraries to Empower Kenyan Students

Hello everyone!

We are Meg and Petie, and we teach English in Mtwapa, Kenya. Mtwapa is one of the major centers of child prostitution and sex tourism in Kenya, and many people here live in poverty. For youth, and especially for young girls, education can be pivotal for the trajectory of their lives. Many become pregnant at ages 12-14 and are unable to continue school, while others are forced into sex work and miss class as a result. As teachers, we are striving to provide our students the resources they need to be able to make more empowered choices about their futures.

Our schools are highly under-resourced. One lacks textbooks for the students, and both high schools lack libraries. Books are mostly inaccessible to our students.To address this inaccessibility, we are starting libraries at each of our schools. We plan to source books of various levels in both English and Swahili, the two national languages of Kenya.

We are starting from ground zero, so all raised funds will go directly to purchasing books, shelving, library cards, and other necessary materials to get started. Our goal is to provide a collection of diverse, engaging books, catering to various reading levels and interests. We will be stocking essential resources like dictionaries, encyclopedias, and history books, alongside captivating fiction genres like fantasy, science fiction, and mystery. We want to foster not only academic growth but also a lifelong love of learning.

Every contribution makes a difference to our students! Thank you so much.