HURUMA working to build library in rural Kenyan village

Work is progressing on HURUMA’s plan to create the first ever library in the village of Kathanjuri, Kenya.  HURUMA recently acquired a plot of land, donated by the Runyenjes County Municipal Council, on which to build the new literacy center.  The organization also held a fundraiser to benefit the literacy center on March 27, 2010, raising $700 for the project.

Stateside, several pallets of books (an estimated 1,500 books in total) have been collected and are already awaiting shipment from the United States.  The need for books, however, continues, as HURUMA is only about halfway towards filling a 40′ shipping container.  Once received in Kenya, the abundant supply of books will provide an exceptional source for knowledge in an area devoid of books–even in its schools.

In addition to serving as a library, the new literacy center is also expected to be an educational facility for 18 children, ages 4 to 10, expelled from school due to poverty, jiggers (an infestation of the skin by sand fleas) and lack of school uniforms.  ”[The children] do not need uniforms to learn how to read and write.  We are operating outside the box,” said Aloys Kamwithi, Huruma Director and Founder.

For more information on the project, or how you can donate books, please contact us.