The second floor of Shining Hope’s Community Center is a hub for information exchange. David, Shining Hope’s librarian, runs the community library, which is located alongside the cyber café. The library has been a big hit in the community since it opened this past April. Clientele has grown tremendously with almost one hundred people coming in every weekday! Between fifty and sixty individuals are coming to checkout and read books each day, and almost fifty come in to read newspapers, which can’t be checked out.
David is extremely pleased by the library’s popularity. When asked about the library’s progress, David replied that his goal is to see at least one new face in the library everyday, which he believes is happening. Almost as if on cue, two adolescent girls walked by to browse the book selection. David smiled and whispered that one of those girls was brand new and that her friend, an avid reader, had convinced her to come explore the library.
As a lifelong Kibera resident, David understands that exposure to books and information is not something that comes easy in the slum. Growing up, David loved reading but had a lot of difficulty accessing books. It is important to him to be a part of this changing reality. David remembers not being able to read or study at night for lack of light and is glad that, on top of providing reading material, the library is also a large space with free light! David happily reports that the majority of individuals visiting the library are students coming in the early evening and staying well into the night. He sees this as a positive sign for a new and more engaged Kibera generation.
David, demonstrating his love of reading in the library he is so proud of!