Helping Bring Books Where They’ve Never Been Before
Camel library update, May 11, 2008
Fifteen months after it began, efforts from individuals, authors, book festivals, libraries, bookstores and book clubs to contribute to the camel library have been enormously successful. Books have poured into this corner of northern Kenya, and will bolster education and literacy efforts for many years to come. Many thanks to everyone involved for building a bridge and helping bring books to this remote region.
Current efforts are focused on raising money so that local people can collect their folktales and traditional stories and then have them published, likely in Somali. This idea was the brainchild of Louise Allison’s book group in Australia that read The Camel Bookmobile and then considered the best way they might help the real camel library. This will allow an area in transition to preserve and place value on traditional ways. Mr. Farah has formed a committee to look into how much money will be needed for this project. See his email below and be in touch if you have any questions or comments. Thank you!
Dear Masha,
Thank you very much for your telephone call yesterday. In fact, we are grateful to the kind response we received from various donors. We can now proudly say as a result of your tireless effort in making the camel library success, the children of northern Kenya have all the reason to smile. They now have an oasis of books. In Garissa, we have received about 5,500 copies, including Swahili books. Mrs. Warfa in Wajir has also told me that the response is overwhelming and she has 30 cartons of books that she recently received. She estimates them to number about 1,400 or so new copies. She is opening the boxes one by one for proper processing, and after she opens all the boxes we shall know the actual number. We have also organized a reading tent competition in Bute, Wajir and Garissa. The idea is to inculcate early reading culture to our youngsters. It was quite an experience and the participating children enjoyed it. Among the activities were painting, story-telling, reading, essay writing, reciting poems, etc.
Lastly, the idea of collecting and writing the local stories has been received with a lot of enthusiasm. I have so far formed a small committee to handle this, and I’ll be the chairperson. As an individual, I also wish to write about what I intend to call “The Caravan of Hope” about the camel service, from loading to providing the service, as well as illustrated. Our current need is funds to conduct the research and the origination of the stories and folktales. We are also exploring the possibility of starting a model Somali village where we collect traditional Somali cultural artifacts. This could later be a source of income generating that will help the camel library service. Thank you.
UPDATE FROM KENYA, Feb 12, 2008:
UPDATE to let you know the continuing upheaval in Kenya has NOT affected the Northeast Province where the camel libraries are based. See latest email from Mr. Farah below. Books and money continue to reach this area. Your donations have helped the camel library expand from Garissa to Wajir, further to the northeast.
The Wajir librarian, Mrs. Warfa, said she has received about 500 book donations as of January 2008. Thank you!
The camel book drive began as an effort by authors in February 2007 and has broadened to include generous booklovers of all stripes, including businesses, libraries and publishers, book groups and individual readers. If you donate a box of books or money, please contact us so we can add you to the donor list.
Any questions? Send us an e-mail.
Masha, is it better for them to receive hard cover or soft cover? I imagine hard would be more durable but heavier for the camels!
They really carry a mixture with each run — lots and lots of soft covers, but some hard cover books as well.
Masha, this moves me so much. I didn’t want until next week to wait to post about this on my blog. I’ve posted it here today: http://blogs.nsls.info/thebook/ This is the blog I write for the Northwest Suburban Library System, a system of just under 500 suburban Chicago libraries. I have it queued up to post at Bluestalking Reader tomorrow, and I’ll see where else I can get this published as well.
To all the authors, you’re doing such a wonderful thing. You are to be commended for following your hearts.
I’ll see about getting together books to send. If no one else is willing to join me I’ll just do it myself. The thought of lighting up those beautiful faces inspires me.
All best,
Lisa Guidarini
Dear Masha,
I am so inspired! I’ve been emailing my friends for the last month and have gathered boxes of books to send! I’m going to send 1 box per week (or so) for as long as friends and family are willing to donate.
Thank you all for making this project visible enough to attract my attention.
Kind regards,
Sarah
Dear Masha,
This is the NEATEST idea! I’m so glad you asked me to become involved. This brings back memories of when I was a poor child in South Alabama — my parents were without the resources to purchase books for their avid book lover daughter — and I would be so impatient standing on one foot and then the other waiting in the hot summer sun for the book mobile to come back so I might enter that little piece of heaven (for me) and sort through the books and select a few… My heart would be pounding as I made my selections and I would gather those books so carefully and then burst from the book mobile and dash to the swing under the old Oak tree and devour those books! What a wonderful thing that book mobile was for the child, Jean Parks… I have tears in my eyes just thinking of it, and now imagining book lovers gathering around the CAMEL BOOK MOBILE to make their selections. You’ve done a wonderful thing with this project. I’m so happy to be a very small part of it. GOOD LUCK to you and may God bless this project! Jean Sasson
Masha-I’m with Sophia’s circle from Cincinnati. Next week I’ll travel to Kenya with Sue Keefe, who will carry books from our club. I just ordered several from Amazon to add to our donation. God bless you for doing this.
Carol Kelly
Working full time in a job that requires a lot of travel affords very little time to volunteer on a consistant basis. In fact, I rarely make the meetings of a book club a friend and I started 5 years ago. We often talk about how we could make a difference - this project is it! Actually, I would like to start a fund to buy a camel. Can you please tell me how to do that?
I can relate to Jean (above) for I too as a child had a bookmobile visit my area in rural Washington State. It was the highlight of the month.
Thank you for a way to give to children something I have loved my whole life.
Wow! I am very honored to donate via Amazon. Knowledge is power. Blessings on the Camels, the library people, and the patrons of this unique library.
kenya have much troubles but its great to found one care about the others troubles !
thanks Masha
Every week The National Writing for Children Center receives review copies of books for our online radio show, Book Bites for Kids (live on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bookbitesforkids).
We’re happy to start donating these books to the Camel Library. Look for our first box of books to arrive soon!
Suzanne Lieurance
Founder, Director,
The National Writing for Children Center
http://www.writingforchildrencenter.com