Fall is finally here!

After a sweltering hot summer followed by a non-existent and then potentially catastrophic rainy, it will be so nice to sit back without the need of a paper or palm leaf created fan for air-circulation. Welp, not exactly. This is still Burkina. But it does mean that all of the surrounding villages youngest and brightest are arriving to start a new school year. This is my first time witnessing that influx of people and I have to say the difference at the library is night and day.

The numbers of visitors and books checked out from the library were reflected starting in September, the month students started arriving to pick the small grasses from the schoolyards. In anticipation for the return of some familiar faces, the library received  a lot of new materials from Paris courtesy of a donation from Hallettsville Rotary Interact. 20 new books including the Harry Potter Series, woven techniques, health and hygiene books and some great alphabet flashcards/tapes await eager reading hands.

 

new books!

 

The library also received a donation from FAVL (Friends of African Village Libraries) who donated 5 copies of Kathy Knowles’s new Jula/French book.

 

Moussa welcomes new copies of Crocodile Bread to the library!

 

 

Though the donation from HRI, we were also able to rebuild our hanger. Right before rainy season, an unfortunate gust of wind not only managed to topple our hanger over but left some nasty metal parts strewn across the dirt roads close to the library. After much discussion, we have built a metal roof with larger columns that the mason has assured me will stand the test of “many, many rainy seasons.” The new hanger really is a sight.

 

Early arrivals for children's story hour!

 

The construction lasted less than a week which is a huge reflection of how motivated the community was to rebuild the structure.With so many faces commenting on the pretty hanger, it seems like a good time to add more programming.

The month of November will kick off with reading competitions with Nianko’s 6 eme public and private CEG classes (US jh equivalent). Moussa just last week presented the importance of the library to each of the participating classes emphasizing hours of operation and that library cards are not necessary to compete (the library is free to all!).

 

Moussa speaks with the 6eme class at Nianko's private school

 

Top readers will receive notebooks, pencils, and rulers. Stay tuned for those results as well as how our new programming comes along!

Reading Rewards

After school readers at ease at the library

Over the past trimester, the library hosted two reading competitions with the 5eme and 4eme classes of Niankorodougou’s CEG (US junior high equivalent). After the final comprehension tests were taken, and tallies totaled, statistics digitally verified (errr on this —its africa!), Moussa presented the top three readers of each grade with a folder, pencil, and pad. Here are the very deserving, “travailleuse” winners!:

April Competition for 4eme:

Two way tie for 2nd, ladies first…..

Sita Traore read 7 books!

 

Zoumana Ouattara receives his cadeau for his 7 books!

And coming in first—-

Ouattara Youcouba says 14 books in a month is nothing!

 

Here are the results from earlier in the year, when the competition was held with the CEG 5 eme classes A and B. Since I assist with some extra-curricular clubs that align with this age group, I’ll try to spice up the commentary:

Join me in congratulating:

Third place winner….

Miriam Sanou

Miriam already gracefully towers over the boys with her gorgeous 6 foot frame. It is only fitting that she comes in as one of the tops in her class. Her favorite book was of the english title, “The Lucky Feather.” Miriam is a dream to have in any group activity as she is a natural born leader and very sharp. She has been instrumental in creating good discussion in girls club and during cooking sessions is one to always hold the pan. Her favorite dish from around the world (so far…) is Mexican tortillas!

 

Coming in 2nd:

Beh Ingan Ouattara

Beh speaks better english than I do french; really.  He wants to become an english professor and travel the world. I honestly know the sky is the limit for this smart kid. His favorite read for the competition was “L’adventure d’Albarla”, a true reflection of his personality. Beh enjoys “climbing mountains for sport like the white people” and is a joy to talk to because he is a classic example of a why kid with humor.

 

And the winner of the 5eme competition:

Abdou de Massa Coulibaly of the 5eA class!

Abdou read 16 books! I bet you would never guess that half of them were in English! Abdou is the pensive student who you at first think is not listening and then blows you backwards with his serious, introspective questions. His favorite classes are history and science and is a tough player on the soccer field. He is a very welcomed regular at the library!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Great Start in Nianko – From Adelaide

I arrived in Niankorodougou on December 28th from Ouahigouya, Burkina’s dusty northern city and was immediately taken aback. As a Peace Corps Small Enterprise Development (SED) Volunteer, most of my time training had been spent in villages larger than 10,000 people. I had not had many experiences with the small communities that comprise Burkina’s myriad of 65 different ethnic groups. When I arrived in Nianko located in the southern, Jula and Sinafu dominated region, I was overwhelmed by not only the amount of green (of which I’ve been told only gets better), but also by the strong sense of community. Within my first week, I had been invited to several homes for dinner, met a wide range of village officials, and been introduced by those officials to local customs such as the “causerie” (fancy word for afternoon of catching up with family and friends).

 

Within my first month at site, it was easy to understand how the library continues to expand in members and projects… this strong sense of community is a big reason. The library is amazing. I cannot stress what a phenomenal impact it is having on the community, myself included. The library acts as a central location for all ages regardless of native tongue or reading level to congregate and interact. I owe a great part of the ease in my transition to the library which presents an ideal place for seeing new faces and interacting. For a country with one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, it is inspiring to see how much pride Niankorodougou has for its library and associated events. Before even entering, it is customary to greet the librarian, Moussa, with a salutation. Once inside, the library’s friendly environment encourages people to stay and read. The great news is that now the library won’t be the only place for readers to gather in Niankorodougou. We broke ground for the reading hanger the first week of the new year which was an excellent way to put yet another foot forward in increasing Niankorodougou’s literacy rate. Located directly adjacent to the library, the expansion can now host a slew of community activities including weekly story time. Also expanding is the book catalogue within the library. Brian Rhodes, Niankorodougou’s Girls Empowerment PC Volunteer donated two French children’s books along with a calendar full of pictures of readers all ages using the library and smiling and just this week, new books were purchased in Bobo-Dioulasso to help encourage next month’s school reading competition. Results from the new year’s first reading competition were very positive and these new book additions hope to spark even more interest in the months to come.

 

Building the library’s outdoor reading area

Our completed reading space!!!