A Bigger, Better Library
As we look forward to the completion of the Kenya Keys Community Education Center (CEC) early next year, we’re looking back at the Kenya Keys Taru library, the lives it touched, and the outsized impact this one small room - the library is only about 12’x20’ in the rural Kenyan equivalent of a strip mall - has had on the community for over a decade. At the same time, we are beyond excited for the incredible promise of the bigger, better space. We wanted to share some stories of those lives touched, and give you a sense of the powerful potential we see in the future.
For more than a decade, Kenya Keys has run a busy community library through the generous support of the Lewis Family Foundation and Marilyn and George Lewis.
From the very young to the very old, the library has become a place to relax, to learn, to socialize, and to transform lives. The Taru library can get so busy after school that our librarian regularly gives up her desk to students and patrons. In the new CEC library, there will be room for all.
The new library will be much larger, 20x larger!
For several months last year, a pair of young mothers came to the tiny Taru library every day. They were among the 80% of students in the area forced to drop out of school because their families could not afford to pay high school tuition. Many young women in that situation, 8th graders and above, marry young out of desperation and begin families while their peers are still in school. With babies sleeping on their backs or playing around the table, these determined young women studied for hours to pass the Kenyan equivalent of the SAT or ACT, a grueling, multi-day test, in order to improve their lives.
Adult learners in Non-formal Education (NFE) courses use the library for class and study
Those young women aren’t the only people who have utilized the library to improve their lives and economic opportunities.
Kenya Keys has long supported Non-formal Education (NFE) classes for adult learners.
One elderly man decided it was time to learn to read, though he was decades older than his classmates. Others, like the young mothers, are young adults who can’t afford school but are determined to pass the national test and improve their options. NFE students have sometimes used blazing hot huts with dirt floors to gather and learn, sitting all day without lunch to make the most of their time. In addition to offering test-specific study materials, Kenya Keys plans to make the CEC library the new home for NFE classes and has three study rooms for groups to gather and collaborate, infants welcome.
If you grew up in America, it may surprise you that many Kenyan parents never consider reading to their children. “It’s not part of the culture,” Mwanaisha, Kenya Keys’ full-time librarian, explained. She started storytime for preschool children and parents at the library “to create a culture of reading,” she told us. The new CEC will have a dedicated Children’s Room for storytime and age-appropriate books parents can take home and read to their youngest ones.
Children play a learning game after school
Mwanaisha loves the enthusiasm of primary school students who want to tell her all about the books they borrow, and she requested specific learning games to sharpen the critical thinking skills of young students. We think the expanded space in the CEC library will attract even more students after school, creating a safe and trusted space to transition from play to study as children grow.
Proposed floorplan of Kenya Keys’ Community Education Center (CEC) library and computer lab
One of the exciting developments dovetailing with the completion of the CEC is the announcement from the Kenyan government that fully online college education will soon be an option in the country. Students would no longer have to leave home at great expense to find living situations near colleges. Colleges might be able to expand enrollment and make education more affordable.
The CEC is perfectly situated to facilitate online college learning.
During the pandemic, we had college students come to the Kenya Keys headquarters to access online classes, and we worked that functionality into the CEC design. Nine cubicles with desks are planned, in addition to a dedicated computer lab with dozens of laptops and tablets available for checkout.
A rendering of the new Community Education Center (CEC) library
Believe it or not, this is just the beginning of our plans for using the Community Education Center to support education and transform lives. Technology classes for the community that complement revolutionary primary school computer courses are in the works. An IT specialist will join Mwanaisha the librarian to create programs and assist patrons. It feels like this amazing building is emerging at a critical time. The need is great but the opportunities are expanding.
We’ve made amazing things happen with you, our generous friends and supporters, and we believe the best is yet to come!
To help us complete and fill the Community Education Center library, click below.