It keeps growing!

Our little library is growing and growing. A huge thank you to all of you back home who have made this dream a reality. We currently have just over a hundred books.

Each week we are having between 90 and 100 primary school students learning to love reading. I love watching their excitement each day as they race to be the first ones to arrive so they can find their favorite books. In the oldest primary grade, CM2 (5th grade level), the favorite books have turned out to be study guides for what they are learning in class, which will hopefully help them prepare for their entrance exam to CEG (Jr. High).

The library is also starting to gain interest among current CEG students and some adults in the community. Among the CEG students English study books are what seem to be the favorite. We even have Anglais pour les nuls (English for Dummies), which they took offense to at first until they realized how helpful it was.

It is my goal by the end of this term to have the library up to 125 books with more than 150 kids coming every week.

Where we're at & where we want to go

First of all, thank you so much to all of you who have donated books so far. I have been truly amazed by the wonderful response.

Where we are at: Our collection of books has grown from two to more than thirty in under three months. We have recieved books en francais ranging from small board books, to Where the Wild Things Are (one of my all time favorites), to adult reading such as Kafka.

Where we want to go next: Our collection always needs to grow, in quantity and in subject matter. Reading books in French are always wanted, but now we also want to expand to the following areas:

• Educational books for primary and secondary levels: dictionaries, atlases, history books...
• Kids books in Gulmancema: the school here is bilingual (French & Gulmancema) so our youngest kids both in and out of school understand mostly Gulmancema until around 3rd grade. Since we don't want to leave out our littlest we want to add some local language books.
• Study books to study for the BAC (kind of like the SATs but a lot harder): in order to go to university there is a huge test, the BAC, which must be passed. In generally people study for more than a year for this one test and still the pass rate if fairly low. One challenge big challenge is just being able to afford good textbooks to study, so including these in our library will make even the idea of going to university more than just a dream.

So how can you help:

• Continue to send books in french. (both reading & referance)
• Send school supplies: pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.
• Contribute/help raise money to buy books in Gulmancema and also local study guides.
• Pray for our library and the kids here who will be able to profit from it.

Books & scool supplies can be sent to:

Krista Kay, PCV. BP 6031. Ouagadougou 01. Burkina Faso, WEST AFRICA

~Please mark all packages AIR MAIL~

For information on how to contribute money please contact me thru a comment, email or by calling 226-76-11-47-22.

Thanks again and happy reading!

The Challenge

I was browsing Amazon.com today (a little indulgence I take when I find free time at a computer) and all of a sudden came up with an idea I wanted to share with all of you. I am working with a primary school in Bilamperga and have noticed a huge lack of reading materials for the students. We have possibly a grand total of 20 books for over 300 students, most of which are history or science text books. For those of you who know me even a little bit you know how much I enjoy reading. I am almost never caught without a book. And I am having a hard time imagining how my life would be without books. They help with vocabulary, grammar, spelling, literacy in general. They bring enjoyment and can give a way to discover new ideas and places. They can teach amazing amounts of things. Okay enough lead up, here's the idea: I am going to try and start a mini library in Bilamperga. And I am starting with the two french books I have, the third Harry Potter and Lord of the Flies. Peace Corps is also going to try to buy some kids books, en francais of course, for us (the volunteers) to use in village. But, I thought, why not take this a step further and open it to all of you. So, if reading interests you at all, or if you were just itching to send something to Africa for the first time, I invite you to consider donating books, in french, at any reading level to the upcoming library of Bilamperga.
Much love and happy reading,
Krista

Krista Kay, PCV
S/c Corps de la Paix
01 BP 6031
Ouagadougou 01 Burkina Faso
WEST AFRICA
Please mark all pacakages air mail
Phone: 226 79 11 47 22