Urgently needed books despatched to Somali refugees during Children's Book Week
From 3rd-7th October parents, children and teachers all over the UK will be celebrating Children's Book Week. and to mark the occasion UK development charity Book Aid International is despatching a special consignment of books. Their main priority is to reach children and their teachers in the Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya.
An amazing 2,500 books are being sent this week! They will be shared between three community libraries which have been set up in Dadaab, a camp which houses a staggering 110,000 refugees. Although conditions in Dadaab are difficult [can't think of a better emotive adjective, could add more detail here] people find different ways to escape their surroundings. For example, many refugees are benefiting from educational programmes offered at the camp. These include an adult literacy scheme, 16 primary schools and three secondary schools, as well as in-school training for teachers, all supported by books from Book Aid International.
This shipment of books to Dadaab is just one of many hundreds of requests that Book Aid International responds to each year. In total the charity will supply around 250,000 children's books to African libraries and schools in 2005. These help meet overwhelming book shortages that are limiting educational opportunity and preventing children from gaining a good level of literacy which is vital in later life.
Book Aid International's Kenya Programme Manager, Diane Aslett visited Dadaab Refugee Camp and saw at first hand the impact that books can have on young readers, “The children I met have very few opportunities but they are desperate to learn. So many pupils want to go to school that the teachers have set up two shifts of classes each day to accommodate everyone. Even then there are often 70 children using each classroom. When we visited the camp we were enthusiastically greeted with songs and presentations to thank us for the books we had supplied. There is still a great need for books and I'm sure the consignment we are sending this Children's Book Week will be used and enjoyed by hundreds of children and their teachers.”