Words of Encouragement

"We were very impressed by what was happening at the Buhugu Resource Center and the enthusiasm of the young volunteers that manage it."

We are happy and encouraged to receive this email from our visitor from the US Mission in Kampala.

The Library Receives Visitors and Books

Mr Kintu of Mbale Public Library followed up on his promise and paid the library another visit. Travelling with him were visitors from the American Embassy in Uganda.

We very much appreciate them coming by and are grateful for the donation of books.

Mr Kintu is a dedicated librarian who truly strives to share his knowledge and resources, so more libraries could grow and flourish, especially where there are none.

If you are in the Mbale or Sironko area and would like to start a library in your community, do drop by at the Mbale public library (on Republic Street in Mbale town) and pay him a visit. His decades long experience in this field is invaluable and he shares what is at his disposal with enthusiasm and humility.

The No. 1 Book

So, what's the most popular book in the library?

"Where There is No Doctor" by David Werner et al.

We added it to the collection at the suggestion of a nearby school that trains primary health care workers. It is full of practical advice and suggestions and covers a comprehensive list of health related issues, with illustrations that are customised for the local context.

"This book is very famous. There was one time we tried to get it for the community, but we couldn't find a copy in any of the bookstores", Chairman Alex mentioned as soon as he saw the book. "You better lock it up and monitor who reads it", he added laughingly.

According to Wikipedia, this book is "the most widely used health education book in tropical and sub-tropical developing countries". Printed on what appears to be recycled paper, it costs around $10 in the bookshops in Kampala.

So, if you are planning on travelling to a place where there might be no doctor, we highly recommend you pick up a copy (there are different versions for different parts of the world). It might come in handy and when it is time for you to leave, leave the book behind!

Or if you are able and are so inclined, help to spread more copies of the book around to where ever it might be needed.

Sunday Afternoon at the Library

More Books

A very heavy load of books arrived a few days ago at the library.

The contents had travelled from the US and South Africa, with some text books purchased in Kampala.

Much thanks to Noah, Cindy, Tristan, Jeanne and the rest of the crew for carefully selecting the books based on our recommendations, and for getting them all the way to us!

As we write this post from the library this morning, there are number of children who are reading the newly arrived books (it's Martyr's Day today in Uganda - so, no school!).

"Ignorance is expensive"

The Internet and the library were "officially" launched yesterday.

Young and senior volunteers were on hand to welcome visitors, show them around and also to demonstrate the use of the Internet.

We had a couple of friends, from Hawaii and South Africa, joins us online for a chat which spiced things up a bit. Otherwise, the Ugandan dailies' websites, New Vision and Monitor, as well as BBC proved to be popular.

During the speeches given, many encouraged the community members to make use of the facilities and services available. One quote in particular received much laughter and resonated with those present - "ignorance is expensive".

Thanks to all those who worked hard towards this, and all those who came, from near and far, to be part of the occassion.

Do check out some photos we'v uploaded to our album.

Changes and Milestones

We are getting ready for an "official" launch this Saturday. It is in part to thank all those who have helped us along the journey and also to celebrate some milestones:

• the first public library in Sironko district
• the first public access Internet in the district outside the main commercial town.

The pressure of the launch is motivating us to do things we might otherwise postpone, such as putting the house in order.

Nicole's days in Buhugu are numbered and there is a general anxiety among a number of children regarding this.

We have seen her hang from trees, stand with feet in the air and head on the ground, do a hundred sit ups after being challenged, meditate, do yoga with a mob of children, introduce some others to Grand Master Flash, draw some awesome pictures... It is going to be a different place without her for sure.

But hard to capture is the effort she has put in to the interactions with the children especially. The hours spent reading with them, inventing ways to teach those whom the "system" is leaving behind, patiently explaining the different realities that exist in this world, challenging herself to make the harder choices - all of this in a not all that familiar environment.

It is impossible to measure the impact. And words cannot express the gratitude.

A Home

Over twenty members of the community and a number of volunteers were present at the community meeting to discuss the past, the present and the future of the project.

The meeting was chaired by Alex Jigga (volunteer and LC II chairman) and lasted several hours. We received much support and encouragement from many present. They also elected to give us the keys to two rooms in a community building to host the Buhugu Libarary.

Furthermore, Buhugu Library will also host SDV (Sironko Digital Village) which will relocate from its current premises due to a number of challenges.

We have been busy over the last couple of days wiring, cleaning, putting in locks and shutters. It is time to start the painting.

The Library

Many members of the community have expressed their support for the Buhugu library, mentioning that it is one of the most important developments.

Negotiations are underway to secure a room to host the library. In the meantime, we have started purchasing textbooks. Using a list provided by the teachers of Masaba Secondary School, we have been scouring the bookshops in Kampala and have so far bought textbooks worth about UGS 700,000 (around $420).

$1200 for Textbooks

It started with fifteen books taken from my bookshelf. A couple of months later forty more came, from Belgium. And then a few more.

Thus the seeds for the first public library in Buhugu were being sown.

One thing we noticed was that a number of students were asking for books related to what they were learning at school. We would try to find the book that best matched their topic of interest, or look it up on the digital encyclopedia. But it was becoming apparent that textbooks serve a purpose, and without access to them, the students were at a significant disadvantage.

So, how to equip the library with text books? They have to be purchased, in Uganda, as the books are specific to the country's curriculum. Books cost about the same in Uganda as they do, say in America. (Why books remain unaffordable to a vast number of people in this world is a puzzling question.)

We spoke with the teachers and started to compile a list of the most needed books. With the help of a distributor in Kampala, we came up with the initial cost estimates, not knowing where we would find the funds, but determined nevertheless.

And recently we received $1200 towards the initial purchase.

It was donated by Professor Henk Monkhorst of the University of Florida. Professor Monkhorst had taken an interest in the goings on at Buhugu some months back. Many questions and discussions followed, and he gave us much encouragement, advice and tried to link us to other resources that might be of help.

Getting started is often harder than making progress. And so, we are very grateful for this generous gift. Thank you Henk.