RIPPLE Africa has constructed and maintains a community library in the village of Mwaya. Opened in 2005, the community library holds over 4,000 books, magazines, and newspapers, which are all perfectly catalogued. The community library is a huge resource to Mwaya Primary School whose students visit the library daily for lessons and reading activities. However, the library is also a resource to the wider community, who can become library members for free. The library has hundreds of community visitors, who can choose to borrow books to read at home, or enjoy the custom-built reading room which opened in 2009. The library is looked after with pride by RIPPLE Africa’s librarian, Mr Longwe, and two library assistants, who keep it in immaculate condition. To date, only one book has gone missing (and replaced by an overseas donor) and, unlike many libraries, the assistant has a bicycle to chase up overdue books! If any books do go missing, the borrower is responsible for paying for a replacement.
In Malawi, very few people have access to any books at all, yet the link between books and literacy is self-explanatory. In addition to the obvious educational benefits, access to books is also enriching in a wider sense and critical to developing a greater understanding of the world. Books provide entertainment, knowledge, reference, advice, and exposure to outside cultures, practices, and views. A library not only helps to encourage the habit of reading, but inspires a thirst for knowledge which generates understanding and openness to new ideas. RIPPLE Africa will never forget the wonderment in the eyes of the people when they first visited the library, or the response from the young children who were captivated by the musical books and colourful collections of children’s fiction. However it is seeing library members reading Shakespeare, and community members viewing picture books of what animals look like in different countries for the very first time, that touches our hearts. The community library is important not only because it appeals to education as one of RIPPLE Africa’s three pillars of activity, but for the varied and complex ways it is enjoyed by so many people in the community.
RIPPLE Africa’s community library is very well stocked with books. However, it would still benefit from locally purchased books written in the languages of ChiChewa and ChiTonga. The library also incurs monthly running costs which we need help to support:
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