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!

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!!!

And the Winners Are…

The month of November was previously designated as the reading competition month for the 6eme (equivalent of 6th grade) students in Niankorodougou. Moussa and I passed by all of the 6eme classrooms at the start of the month to announce details of the competition… all 6eme students were invited to participate by either sitting and reading at the library or by signing up as library members to take books home. Each student had a list of books they read. After finishing a book, students would return to the library and give Moussa a short summary of the story and characters and he would sign off on their reading list.

 

I am happy to announce the three top readers of the 6eme class. Drum roll please!

 

Moussa Ouattara

 

 

Coming in third place, Moussa Ouattara read six books. His favorite book was Le Fete du Lion. He liked reading about the lion who didn’t have any friends and was always alone.

 

Yasia Ganame

 

 

In second place, Yasia Ganame read seven books. His favorite book was Les Trois Jumeaux because it was a funny story about triplet brothers with the morale that you shouldn’t mock other people because you never knew what might happen to you.

 

Soumaila Ouattara

 

 

And our first place reader was Soumaila Ouattara with eight books. Soumaila preferred the book Afi et la Tambour Magique because it was interesting and had magic in it.

 

Each of these students received a notebook and ruler and were given stars on our “Reading Superstar” poster hanging in the library. The students were especially excited because the notebooks and rulers were sent from America.

 

All secondary students have break during the month of December, so we will be continuing the competition for the 5eme class (equivalent of 7th grade) in January.