Construction on the first library in the Malawian village of Chilumba is nearing completion thanks to the fundraising efforts of Stratford charity Change Her World.
In a few short months, residents of the small Malawian village of Chilumba could have access to books, computers and, eventually, educational and literacy programming thanks to the efforts of Stratford charity, Change Her World.
For nearly two years, the charity, which raises funds locally to support its mission of promoting literacy and education among women and girls in Chilumba and support them as they complete their schooling, has also been raising money to build the village’s first library.
“They use no power tools. It’s all manual labour. They even make the concrete blocks,” said Linda Willis, the charity’s co-founder. “…The structure is totally up now. They’re doing wiring, they’re doing some painting. It’s a beautiful building, it’s got a steel roof on it … and it’s going to be a real community hub at some point.”
Expected to be complete by the start of the school year in September, the library will soon be stocked with more than 2,500 children’s books donated by Stratford and area residents. There are also plans to add non-fiction books and audio-visual materials and equipment to the collection, and install at least six computers to give high-school students and adult residents access to the internet.
The workers will also soon install solar panels and a water tank fed by a well on the 1.5-acre property to ensure the library has access to hot water, one of the only flushing toilets in the village, and power, even amid the rolling and unpredictable blackouts in the region.
In building the library, Willis says the hope is to establish a learning center in the community, not just for students and people of higher education, but also to help those adult residents who struggle with reading and writing — mostly because of a lack of access to books in Chilumba — learn the literacy and language skills they need to take advantage of such an important community institution.
“We have one of our (high-school) graduates who didn’t have the marks to go to university; she’s been training in library science, which is a two-year program. So she will operate the library when it’s fully operational,” Willis said.
With all those plans for the library and because the charity continues to support as many as 200 girls and young women at a time as they complete their schooling, Willis said Change Her World relies on community support to make those dreams reality.
“People need to realize that while we’re raising money for the library, we are also supporting women and girls,” Willis said. “The library is an adjunct because we want to create a legacy of literacy for everyone. It’s not just the girls. That’s the focus, that’s where the money is going for education because we really believe that educating a girl is the greatest hope to break the cycle of poverty — and the research shows that — … but we also believe this library will benefit everyone in the community .”
To raise money for the library and the women and girls it supports, Change Her World is hosting its 12th annual fundraiser dinner on June 8 starting at 5:30 pm at the Arden Park Hotel in Stratford. At $50 each, tickets can be purchased online at changeherworld.ca or at Blowes Stationary and Office Supplies in Stratford.
Change Her World is also continuing to sell its popular tote bags featuring American Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s famous quote: “The Power of a Girl with a Book,” at $40 apiece. Call 519-271-5598 for more information.