Recently in UgCLA Category

Kate Parry writes:

Last year (2010) the Uganda Community Libraries Association was given a generous grant by Pockets of Change in New York to enable us to buy packets of locally produced children's books for some of our member libraries. So we went shopping and were able to buy some pretty nice books, especially from Fountain Publishers and the Children's Writers and Illustrators Association in Uganda and from Heinemann's Junior African Writers Series, which is imported from Kenya. But these were books for older children; we could find hardly any that were appropriate for the very young.

So, inspired by the wonderful picture books that Kathy Knowles has produced for the Osu Children's Library Fund (www.osuchildrenslibraryfund.ca), we decided to produce our own. At our workshop in July 2010, our member librarians worked to classify photographs that I provided according to the themes covered in Uganda's curriculum for the first year of primary schools; they also wrote captions for the photos. Then, after some editing and with the help of a grant from Hawk Children's Fund at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, we persuaded Fountain Publishers to print four little books: Let's Eat!, Let's Go!, Let's Look!, and Let's Play!

























Here's what we wrote on the back of each book:

"The Let's ... books are designed to help children in Africa to enjoy reading and to see its relevance for themselves. Every page features a photograph of an activity, scene, or object that is familiar to African children. With the picture there is a short text that includes a question.  There is no right or wrong answer to the question: its purpose is to encourage conversation and to stimulate children to think about the pictures. 

"Adults can read and talk about the books with young children, while older children will want to read them for themselves or with their younger siblings. Each book reflects a theme in Uganda's new thematic curriculum for Primary One so that pre-school children who talk about it will be preparing themselves for school work later on. For older children, the books will encourage thinking, will reinforce the vocabulary that they learn in school, and may be used to stimulate their own writing."

Each 24-page book will cost about 6,000 Uganda shillings - that is, less than $3.00. Our grant from Hawk Children's Fund enables us to buy nearly 200 complete sets so that we can give one to each of our member libraries and still have many left over to use for family literacy projects. We also hope that the books will inspire our library people to take their own photographs and put together their own books. If any blog readers would like to buy the books, they can be obtained from Fountain Publishers (www.fountainpublishers.co.ug) in Uganda and from the African Books Collective (www.africanbookscollective.com) in Europe and Commonwealth countries.

Thank you, Hawk Children's Fund and Fountain Publishers! And thank you, Cornelius Gulere, Sophia Klumpp, Enoch Magala, Joseph Nizigiyimana, and Charles Wolf for contributing photographs.

Kate Parry writes:

Kate Parry writes:

In January last year the Uganda Community Libraries Association's then coordinator, Grace Musoke, went to a conference in Tanzania sponsored by Book Aid International (and organized, incidentally, by our good friend Sarah Switzer). There she met Karen Sharkey, BAI's program officer, and at Karen's suggestion wrote a proposal to enable ten of UgCLA's member libraries to improve their facilities and provide better services for children. Last month we received final confirmation that the proposal had been accepted, and when Karen visited us on July 27, Kayaga Mulindwa and I discussed with her the final details of how the grant would work.  (UgCLA of course is closely affiliated with FAVL.)

Under this project ten libraries will receive a book donation of some 700-odd books each, to be delivered in two batches; and each will  receive a grant of about 1000 pounds (yes, pounds, not dollars), to be used for "refurbishment" - which includes purchasing furniture and local books as well as repainting and repairing the building. UgCLA's Board has identified some forty libraries that could benefit from this (we excluded those that have no building to refurbish and also those that have recently received substantial benefits through UgCLA), and we have been urging those that have not paid their subscriptions for this year to pay up so that we can invite them to compete. The competition will be on the basis of written proposals, and with BAI's support we are organizing a two-day workshop in the middle of September for the representatives of all those libraries that are eligible. Our aim is to have them write the proposals while they are there, and we have prepared a "Proposal writing guide" to help them do so. The workshop will be held at the Kabubbu Community Library and will be facilitated by the Kabubbu librarian, Augustine Napagi, UgCLA's coordinator, Brenda Musasizi, and Espen Stranger-Johanessen, who is a volunteer who worked with UgCLA in 2008 and has now returned to help us again. We are extremely grateful to Espen for offering us this help.

The first batch of books is expected at the end of October. The National Library of Uganda will store them for us until we can arrange for a team of volunteers to sort them out into packets for each library and the libraries can pick them up. The winners will be announced at UgCLA's National Conference in January.

We are all very excited about this project, especially since, if we do it right, there's a good chance that the funders, Pearson Longman, will extend the grant for two more years to cover twenty more libraries. So, thank you Grace!

Kate Parry writes:

Four members of the Uganda Community Libraries Association (UgCLA) hosted Health Reading Camps from August 15 to August 19 this year: twenty children of between twelve and fourteen years old were invited to each camp and looked after by three facilitators, one the librarian, the second a teacher, and the third a health worker. The camps followed a defined curriculum with a range of activities: both reading aloud and silent reading, of course, but also games, drama, lots of discussion, and counseling sessions. The children also got a good lunch every day, and the curriculum provided for discussion of the lunch's nutritional properties.

 The camps were a new venture for us, so we did extensive preparation. Brenda Musasizi, UgCLA's coordinator, and I bought a set of children's books about health for each library, mainly storybooks about the HIV/AIDS and its effects, with titles like I will Miss Mr. Kizito, Monde the Courageous Girl, Just Me and My Brother, and I'm Positive: Botswana's Beauty Queen (the books came mostly from Fountain Publishers Junior Living Youth series and Heinemann's Junior African Writers Series). We also bought games equipment for each library--a football, a volley ball, skipping ropes, and indoor games such as Snakes and Ladders (with an HIV twist--you land on a snake and pick up a card which tells you what risky thing you have done), a quiz game based on Uganda's Primary Leaving Exam, dominoes, and sets of letters for word-making games; the indoor games were supplied by Mango Tree Educational Publishers, a long-standing supporter of UgCLA. We took all this equipment, together with flipcharts, marker pens, etc., to one of the host libraries (the Caezaria Public Library Complex in Buikwe District), for a workshop on August 8. Each host library sent at least one of its facilitators to the workshop, and together we went over the curriculum and discussed methods of evaluating and reporting on the project before we finally distributed the goodies.

The formal reports haven't come in yet, but the informal conversations that I had with the camps' facilitators have been most encouraging. Enoch Magala, from the Mpolyabigere Community Library in Numutumba District sent an e-mail at the end of the first day:
Hello Brenda and all friends,
greetings from Mpolyabigere! we managed to have on this first day all the 20 participants although with delayz on reporting!! we managed to have our chicken today and we have two participants who are fasting and they will carry their meal home to break their fast!!!

see you tomorow!!!
that is our news!!! its fun!!!!

At Kitengesa, the librarian Dan Ahimbisibwe told me the participants had so many questions that they had to adjust the curriculum to fit in a special time for them; and although people were a little late showing up on the first day (it was raining), the following days they always arrived early. The Caezaria and URLCODA libraries were similarly positive.

The funder for this project was the Hawk Children's Fund at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (UMES). My correspondent there has asked me for extensive evaluation so that he can use it (if it's positive, of course) to raise more funds for an expansion of the project to more libraries next year. So we have given each library detailed instructions about evaluation procedures (including a before and after test for the participants and reading report forms for the participants to fill in on each book read) and are awaiting the results. Meanwhile, I'm attaching a picture of the beginning of the second day of the camp at Kitengesa.

Kate Parry writes:

One distinguishing feature of the Kitengesa Communiity Library is its Library Scholarship scheme. Seven students are selected from the neighbouring secondary school to work in the library, keeping it clean and tidy and helping look after the children who come in. In return their school fees or other educational expenses are paid out of Library funds. They also have access to the Libraryís computers and, of course, the books.

Katumba was a Library Scholar from 2008 to 2010, when he reached Senior Four and took his School Certificate (ìOî level) exams. His results were unusually good for a student from a poor village school: he passed in Division One and is now studying for the Advanced School Certificate at the government secondary school in Masaka town. I asked him to write about his experience, and the other day, when we were both in the Library, he handed me this letter. I have typed it without editing.

RE: SPECIAL THANKS TO THE BOARD OF GOVERNOR KITENGEESA COMMUNITY LIBRARY.

Dear Madam Kate Parry,

I would like to take this golden opportunity to tell you that I appreciate for all the good things I have acquired from you and the library at large. You enabled me complete my ìOî level course successively and it was after your help that you funded for my school fees. During my time I have been a library scholar I acquired a lot of things from the library for example. I got chance to use any book of my wish at any time which helped me pass my exams very well. I also got chance to access computer literacy from the library which was free of charge and it is an important think in thick world of technology.

Before I had got the library scholarship, thing were worse in a way that school fee at my side wasnít easy to get and I were usually sent for fee every time it was to be. I thank you because the moment I got the library scholarship I were able to be at school every time which helped me get all the concepts from the teachers and this was the best of like that I wanted. This helped me concentrate on books without fear that they will send me to day or tomorrow for fees. I were able to read my notice that way given to me by the teacher plus the books that are in the library and this provided me a lot of knowledge that I added to that I got from the teacher.

After all I had every think I needed to study I used that chance to make it out. I passed my UNEB [Uganda National Examination Board] exams 2010 quite good that I got a ìfirst grade of aggregates 25î. [The aggregate is the sum of all the grades obtained over eight subjects, the highest grade being 1, the lowest (failing) grade being 9]. The day for the return of our results I were filled up with joy and excitement as I appear in the new papers of BUKEDDE [the Luganda language newspaper] 9th Feb. 2011. The library also helped me get courage from the Librarian that is Mr Ahimbishibwe Daniel who is a good man and a social one.

It is from the bottom of my heart that I thank you in particular that you arranged for the set up of Kitengeesa Community library which has been a very important place the community at large and me in particular. I pray to God that he gives you a better life and keep you alive for more many year for you good heart and fair treatment you offer to the people.

I remain yours faithfully

KATUMBA JIMMY

more pics...

Kate Parry writes:

What have libraries to do with sanitary towels? UgCLA and AFRIpads


In January 2011 we at UgCLA invited AFRIpads to our first national conference. Our theme was "Libraries for Health", and Sonia and her colleague made a presentation about feminine hygiene and offered a program whereby those libraries that were interested could act as local distributors of AFRIpads, selling them at a small profit so as to raise revenue for their own library activities. The managers of our member libraries - who are mostly men - were absolutely fascinated: "I didn't know [about the girls' problems]" several of them told me later. Since then five libraries have purchased AFRIpads and are selling them to girls and women in their communities at a subsidized price of 4,000 shillings (a little more than $1.50) a packet, keeping 500 shillings (about 20 cents), and then using the balance to purchase more pads.  In the months since the "Libraries for Health" conference these five libraries have purchased nearly 900 kits and demand continues to grow.  This program has simultaneously enabled the participating libraries to generate a small revenue for their programs, while also making their libraries access points for local women and girls to cost-effective, feminine protection.   Sonia believes that the only reason why more libraries haven't come forward is that it's difficult for them to find the capital to purchase the initial stock.

But so far so good. We at UgCLA have always believed that community libraries in Africa are as much about development as they are about books, and this is a practical way of demonstrating the point. Thank you AFRIpads!

The Uganda Community Libraries Association (UgCLA), FAVL's Ugandan affiliate, held its 1st national conference in Masaka last month.

Kate Parry writes :

"The Uganda Community Libraries Association has been growing so rapidly that it has had to restructure the regular meetings that it organizes for its member libraries. Instead of having two workshops a year at the national level, it is now, from 2011, having a single national conference each year and then at least one workshop a year for each regional cluster of libraries.

The first national conference was held from 16th to 19th January in the Social Centre at Masaka, attended by70 participants on the first working day (the 17th) and 67 on the second.

The theme of the conference was "Libraries for Health."  Participants heard talks by two speakers from two potential partners: TASO (The AIDS Support Organization), and Afri-Pads (which helps to keep girls in school by producing affordable sanitary pads). Representatives of three of UgCLA's own member libraries also presented the work that they are doing for health. The participants worked in groups to discuss a draft curriculum for Health Reading Camps that are planned for the August; and everyone got to see a collection of health books appropriate for use in the camps.

Some time was spent on administrative business. Participants heard about a number of awards that they could apply for and were invited by UgCLA's partner the Maendeleo Foundation, to apply for the Foundation to bring its mobile computer lab to their library. They also met in regional groups in order to make initial plans for the regional workshops that are planned for later in the year, and they voted for a new Board of Directors: three of the previous Directors, Kate Parry, Gertrude Kayaga Mulindwa, and Christine Ssempebwa, remained on the Board, while Daniel Ahimbisibwe, Esther Kyazike, Willy Ngaka, and Augustine Napagi--all of whom work with particular libraries--were voted onto it as new members.

A final point to note: the conference was an occasion for still more libraries to join UgCLA, bringing the total membership to 79."

UgCLA (the Uganda Community Libraries Association) held its sixth workshop from July 11-13 this year (see the pictures below). The workshop was funded largely by Pockets of Change, as part of its support for our Children's Book Project, and  Hawk Children's Fund provided some additional funds to allow our new members to attend and to support a book-making project for a couple of the sessions. The workshop was held, once again, at the Kabubbu Community Library, which is affiliated to a conference centre and resort where we could all be put up.

Every workshop that UgCLA runs seems to be bigger and better than the last. In this case, we had 55 people attending, representing a large majority of our 67 member libraries. The activities were all focused on how we can better help children in our libraries. First, those libraries that had received books under the Children's Book Project reported on what they had done with them, and everybody present had a chance to ask questions and make comments. A packet of 80-odd books has been given to each of ten libraries, and while they all used them in different ways, the impact seems to have been great everywhere, bringing in increasing numbers of children and encouraging adults to read as well. Then we spent an afternoon working on photographs of everyday Ugandan people, things, and activities: participants designated the themes in the new thematic curriculum for lower primary classes that the photographs could be used for and wrote text for each picture appropriate to the designated themes. Our plan is to collate this work to form  a set of picture books that could be used not only in primary schools but in nursery schools and for family literacy projects - for we have found that one of the major deficits in locally produced material is picture books for young children. Next day, the librarians at Kabubbu showed the participants how they could make supplementary material from the books they had in their libraries, material that would be fun for children to work with and that would make the books more accessible - and one of them had a group of eleven volunteers act out a story with an accompanying little song that she had made up. Lastly, we had a session devoted to "fun and games", which, this being Africa, evolved into everyone dancing to the beat of drums played by children from the Kabubbu primary school.

In short, a good time was had by all, but it's important to emphasize that this is not the sole purpose of our workshops. We have found that through them our library managers pick up ideas from their colleagues as well as from us, and that all the libraries are run, in consequence, a little better. The participants get to know one another and have by now built up a strong sense of solidarity, which is expressed in practical offers of help to one another. On this occasion, for example, the library at the Suubi Centre in Masaka District made arrangements for its new librarian to spend some time at Kitengesa and Kabubbu to get some training. Then, of course, the actual workshop sessions will result, we hope, in libraries exploring new activities and developing new materials. We have yet to see what will come up as a result of this last workshop, but we are confident that many libraries will now be using pictures more and many librarians will be making word cards and exercises to go with the children's books that they have.