Community Library

RIPPLE Africa has constructed and set up a local community library. This has proved to be a tremendous success, and we are very grateful to everyone concerned for their donations and help to make this a reality.

We employ Mr Longwe, a local full-time librarian, who, together with his assistant, maintains the books and the systems that have been set up by Donncha, a librarian who volunteered at Mwaya (click here to read about Donncha's experiences during his year at Mwaya). The library currently has 4,000 books and offers a wealth of knowledge to members of the local community.

The library was formally opened on 28 November 2005 (click here to read Donncha's speech). It was a great joy to see the sheer wonderment in the eyes of the people when they first visited the library, and some of the young children have been captivated by musical books which play music and make funny noises when they push the buttons!

Over the last three years, the library has proved to be a tremendous success with the local community. It is kept immaculately, and it is always rewarding to see how Mr Longwe and his assistants maintain the library records. To date, only one book has gone missing 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.

More books have been donated and shipped to Malawi, but there is an urgent need for locally sourced books — both secondary school textbooks and books in the local ChiTonga language.

We need to raise funds for...