Libraries of Love

Libraries of Love Update – 2008 Schools Selected       

The Pflugerville-based Libraries of Love has named the two schools that will receive libraries in June 2008. Both are in Mbale, Uganda. After initially considering needs in Maasai land in Kenya, the Board has decided our best service can be to continue our efforts in Uganda for now. The Mbale schools we've chosen have a combined enrollment of about 6,800.

North Road Primary School has 3,600 students.  The headmaster was previously the principal of Namatala Primary, Library of Love's 2006 project school.  Mbale Secondary School backs up to Namatala Primary and is where most of  the students go after completing primary. This makes it a perfect candidate, as we want the students to have reading materials throughout their school years. It has a student population of 3,200.

We are confident volunteers will step up to the challenge of collecting and preparing the thousands of books needed, as they have over the past three years.  We have provided six libraries since 2005, helping build bridges to brighter futures for more than 9,000 deserving Ugandan children.

During the most recent trip, June 2-18, 2007, 19 volunteers traveled to Uganda to create libraries in three elementary schools and one secondary school and provide Braille books for blind children in an orphanage.  Eleven volunteers from the Austin area were joined in London by four Kansas volunteers and four from Illinois for the trip to Kampala, Uganda, to complete the Libraries of Love projects for 2007.  Volunteers also spent time working with libraries created in 2005 and 2006. The group did not travel to Gulu in Northern Uganda as originally planned. 

Executive Director Trudy Marshall stayed until July 10 to train students and teachers in the use of their new libraries and to look for 2008 project schools.  A planned visit to Maasai land in Kenya was cancelled because of continued civil unrest in and around Nairobi. 

Our thanks to everyone who helps make this possible.  On our website, www.librariesoflove.org, you can read about how we accomplished our 2007 projects and see the children we've served with your help this year and in past years.  To read a travel blog of the 2007 trip, go to http://librariesoflove.blogspot.com

(Note: Volunteers pay their own travel expenses, and since we have no paid staff, all money donated goes directly to library projects.)

Contact: Eddie Roach, Media Director, Libraries of Love, eddie@librariesoflove.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trudy Marshall, founder of Libraries of Love, is heading back to Africa.  Several of our clubs are supporters of Libraries of Love, and Trudy has given us permission to share with you this adventure.  She will be sending updates and we will post on the web. 

We have a total of twenty volunteers making the trip.  We will be leaving June 2nd to create four libraries for over 5,000 children. My team (consisting of people from Austin, Kansas and Illinois) will stay a little over two weeks and I will stay  an extra month. After the completion of the library, many of those going are looking forward to sharing their faith with the students and staff at the schools, as well as in church.  The entire team is excited about having time to just play and visit with the kids! Their beautiful smiles will definitely put sunshine in your day!
 
After the team leaves, I will spend at least a day at each school meeting with classes to instruct the students and staff on the organization of their library, as well as letting classes check out books for the first time.
 
Later, I will travel to Kenya and spend time 'way' out in the bush with a Maasai pastor and his family.  The purpose of the trip is to look at the challenges of creating libraries in Maasai schools next summer.  Just for fun, I am attaching a picture of my future bedroom.  The pastor has two small houses, made out of a mixture of cowdung and mud.  I will sleep with the kids in one of the houses.  The nicer home has a small living area. Behind the living area is a 'mud' wall with a small door leading to the pastor and his wife's bedroom. I visited with this family last year while I was in Kenya.
 
 As I mentioned, it will be difficult to create libraries where we have no electricity, running water, etc.  However, all things are possible, aren't they?!  Africa is just one adventure after the next and I can hardly wait for my feet to touch down on the tarmac in Entebbe.
 
Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to go.  I will shoot emails back whenever I can find a computer.
 
Trudy