In January, Kate Regan and Carol Shanahan made a trip all the way to Lawra to help Karbo Primary School renovate their library. Books had been provided by ATE in 2014, but without a positive learning environment and education on HOW to use them, the books were not being used.
2 weeks of physical work in difficult, very hot conditions had a stunning result. Kate and Carol worked extremely hard to create what is now a usable, beautiful space full of well organised learning resources.
At the start of their trip, Kate and Carol faced a very dusty, dark room, full of piles of dirty books. First step was to clean everything out of the room and start to organise the books. The children enjoyed helping!
Next was to recruit local workers to create functional shelving, and to paint the dark space.Carpenters worked quickly to create excellent shelving units.
John, ATE Volunteer and skilled painter, transformed the space to one that is light and airy.
Working with the teachers and the headteacher was key. Kate took time to work carefully with the school staff to ensure they were involved, informed and engaged.
Books were carefully categorised and recorded for easy use.
At the end of the project, the library looked amazing. The library contains 500 non-fiction books, all organised and appropriate to the curriculum being taught, and many fictions books for all ages. The children are excited to have such a fantastic resource at their school.
Kate summarises her time with ATE here:
‘Two weeks in Lawra volunteering for ATE on a well-assessed school library project has been a delight and privilege as well as a learning experience. To meet welcoming people in the Upper West in an area where life for many is a tough struggle has meant bringing home both happy and very touching memories. Despite the snow and rain around now, I can shut my eyes and recall the brilliant contrasts of blue skies, green neem trees and the orange earth as well as the colourful cloth of the strong, determined women we met through the SNAP programme. And cricket in Lawra, no problem!!
I’m sure ATE will continue to be successful in making a difference to lives through their uniquely formulated and effective work.’
It was a pleasure to have Kate and Carol volunteering in Lawra with us. Their commitment and hard work were incredible to see, and produced such wonderful results.
Thank you very much to them both!