$10,000 GOAL REACHED ! (and surpassed)

The Pobe Mengao Library project has just received a $2,000 grant from the Friends of Burkina Faso organization. This money helped us reach and surpass our fundraising goal!
Because more than $10,000 was raised, the Pobe Mengao library is now officially managed by FAVL (Friends of African Village Libraries). This will ensure the continuity and sustainability of the library over the years.
Thank you all so much for contributing to this project. The grand opening of the Pobe Mengao library will be at the beginning of April. Please check the blog for more details and photos.

Pobe's Librarian

Congrats to Hamidou Konfe, Pobe's new librarian!
Hamidou just completed an intensive training and is excited to get things moving along and ensure the library's opening in April.
Felicitations!

Library Video

Here's a video from early January 2010 featuring Emilie, Hamidou and some students from Pobe Mengao.

Enjoy.

Renovations of library are underway!!

the main room before...

It’s been a long few months since the fundraising for the library in Pobe-Mengao started. The process has been hard and at times frustrating but the transformation into library has finally begun!

While the full $10,000 has still not been reached, enough money has been raised ($6885 so far, including all my savings!) for us to begin. I also have applied for grants and I expect to be able to raise the full amount within the next few months.

Step 1: DEMOLITION

taking down the walls!

Hamidou taking a breather

Giving us the Prefecture’s building as locale for the library was incredibly generous. The building is in good shape and is huge, giving us lots of different opportunities to work with in the future. Due to its vastness, however, we wanted the main room to be one large rectangular space. So, within a period of two days, Hamidou, Adama and the team of helpers not only took down the extra walls (with small pix-axe like tools) but recemented the floor, fixed any holes in the walls and replaced a rotting wooden beam on the ceiling.

Step 2: Painting

The guys couldn't get over me, a "weak woman," doing any manual labor and were shocked when they saw me climbing up a ladder to paint

Adama and I made a field trip to Djibo to buy all the paint and supplies needed for another weekend job. Again, within two days the men had the entire building walls painted an off-white color. On the bottom half of the main room's walls, to reduce cost, we followed the previous pattern and re-splattered the walls with a cement/stucco like material. Its not the most eye-pleasing thing but I figure once we add decorations and posters it'll liven up the room. In all the other rooms the walls are off-white with a blue/turquoise colored trim.

Since physical progress can now be seen, a lot more people are taking interest, stopping into the room to offer help, praise or support. It's been great to see the number of people who want to ensure this project's success. But Hamidou, who since day ONE has been supportive and was the first one to volunteer his hands and time, and Adama have truly taken over this project, I merely sit on the sidelines now and watch (which is what I was hoping for.) With Hamidou’s constant help and Adama’s expertise on buildings, masonry, and his having contacts that give us great deals on supplies, this project has been incredible.

The renovations are not quite done. We underestimated the size and height of the building and ran out of paint. Though within the next week, renovations should be complete!

the room after nearly-complete renovations!

Earlier in the week we held our first official meeting, complete with all the head honchos of Pobe and villagers who came in support the project. The purpose was to emphasize that this is a project for the entire community and that they are essentially the ones who must ensure its care and sustainability.

During the meeting we made our Official library committee and created more posts within it. It was so wonderful to see everyone arrive and we had so many people volunteer for the different positions. They are the ones who will soon decide who will be the librarian.

The next step involves Elisee, the FAVL rep, to come for a visit and check out the site. We will also start ordering furniture (tables, chairs, desks, bookshelves) and of course, BOOKS!

Donations are still very much needed. Please continue to help support Pobe's library!

Please help support the Library

Hello

As you all know, my name is Emilie and I’m currently serving in the Peace Corps as a Girls Education and Empowerment volunteer in the village of Pobe-Mengao in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
After teaching at the school, speaking to villagers, students, teachers and other functionaries, one thing has become quite clear: Pobe Mengao needs a library.
With no electricity, students are forced to study by the light of lanterns. Since not every family can afford lanterns, it’s common to find nightly study sessions at someone's home, with children sitting or lying on mats on the ground to study. Students also do not have textbooks, since neither the families nor the school can afford enough for the 100-plus students per class, so students study only with the notes that they quickly and vigorously copy from the blackboard. The library, which ideally would have solar panels, would offer students a place to study late into the night.
A library, open to the entire community, would provide plenty of interesting, educational and fun reading materials for all. It would offer students and villagers the opportunity to read books like novels, biographies, non-fiction (in French and in local languages) and learn more about the world outside their village. The literacy rate in Burkina is 28%, with women it falls to 16%. In the library an area would be created to hold literacy classes. This would give the villagers, especially women, an opportunity for education and knowledge that could greatly increase their overall lifestyle in areas like nutrition, health and economic status.

If enough money is raised, Friends of African Libraries, a non-profit based in California, would help manage and oversee the library, promoting sustainability. They would advise on the needed materials (books, furniture, latrine) and help oversee its progress. But more importantly they would oversee budgeting, making sure the librarian is paid and the donated money is put to correct use. FAVL will help if I am able to raise $10,000 (at least $5,000 of which is to ensure its sustainability for at least 5 years). It's a lot of money, but I’m optimistic it can be done. With the economy in its current state, money is tight. However, in Burkina, a little goes a long way. For example:

10$ - Covers the purchase of 2 new African novels or other reading materials

$50 – Pays for the six month subscription of a nationally-read newspaper for the library

$100- Covers the librarian's salary for a month

$500 – Pays for the purchase of bookshelves, tables and chairs

$1,200 – Covers the cost and installation of solar panels for a library

Donate by mail with a check to:

Friends of African Village Libraries
P.O Box 90533
San Jose, California 95109-3533

Be sure to earmark the check to Pobe -Mengao

(Canadian Donors, please see side bar for a Canadian address)

For more information visit http://www.favl.org/

The community of Pobe Mengao will contribute 25% of the funds. They have already contributed a building for the library and when the time comes much of their contributions will be done through manual labor.
In addition we'll ask for money through grants but any contribution, large or small, will help immensely. Updates on fundraising and the library project will be kept on the blog. So please help Pobe Mengao have a library. For the sake of the villagers, for the sake of the students and for the sake of education!

Thank you

Emilie Crofton

Top photo: The library commitee:
(L to R) Konfe Hamidou: President du APE (Association Parents d' Eleves)
Konfe Inoussa: Conseiller de la Mairie
Emilie Crofton, Peace Corps Volunteer
Monsieur le Prefet de Pobe Mengao

Bottom photo: possible location of the future library!