Our parents were both educators, and they encouraged us to study hard in order to be successful. They also built schools to serve the children in our community. In June 2014, together with my siblings, in a bid to continue our parents’ legacy we created a project called Maktabas (Maktaba means Library in Swahili). We have a goal of starting libraries for children and adults in communities in Kenya
. We are focused on the local communities and on the slums because the children in the schools there have no text books, stationery, sports equipment or desks. These categories of schools serve 90% of the Kenyan children. In Summer 2014, we sent books that were distributed to two (2) schools, Ndireti School in our local community and Gifted Hands, a collaboration of five schools in located in Kibera, the world’s largest slum and that ignited the frenzy. One of siblings travels to Kenya to ensure accountability and distribution of the books and supplies after shipments. Additionally, the plan is to convert a facility in each of these communities and fully stock it with the advanced reading books. The books will be for the adults in the area who mainly comprise of youth, who have completed school, but have no opportunities for employment. They end up resulting to making poor choices- engaging in drugs and alcohol use, thuggery and early parenthood. We plan to send books to cover a wide range of topics: Cooking, Engineering, Carpentry, Computers, anything! The libraries will help diminish their high risk behaviors and provide an outlet for their restless boredom. It is our earnest hope that the books will provide to them all, a beacon of light and hope for their future. We are shipping K-12 books in all subject areas: college level books, computer related materials, sports equipment, and stationery. Our biggest expenses are shipping costs and building or renovating an existing structure to Library levels.
