By Dann Okoth

The name Kianda conjures up bad memories of the post-election violence as the desolate community bore the brunt of the skirmishes.

A walk down the dusty pathway that cuts across Kianda reveals the scars of the brutality one year on — a burnt out shop standing forlornly in a hidden corner, charred remains of homes, churches and schools.

From picture books to cartoons, the new library has something for everyone. Photo: Ron Reason

A drunken man staggers into the street from a drinking den nearby and falls in a heap onto the road, scattering toys belonging to children who had been engrossed in a game by the roadside. Even in the awkward circumstances the children can still afford a cheeky laugh.

The dreary trail leads to the St George Orthodox Church compound on the eastern side of Kianda — an apparent oasis of peace and sanity in a sea of chaos and madness. Behind its steel gates, occupants can enjoy a temporary reprieve from the din and confusion outside. But that is not the only reason the church has become an important landmark in the community. The church is home to the first community library in Kibera.

The library, which is run by Nicofeli Youth Club, not only promotes a reading culture in the neighbourhood but has also helped to bring communities together following the hostilities occasioned by the post-poll chaos.

Hussein Rama helps children read books at Nicofeli Youth Club in Kibera. Photo: Maxwell Agwanda/Standard

"I bring my daughters every evening after school and over the weekend to read books at the library. I also enjoy reading the array of books the library provides," she says.

More importantly, she says, the library has provided a forum for residents to meet with their neighbours and exchange ideas, which has created more trust between the different communities torn apart by the post-poll violence.

The club also seeks to promote youths’ talents through access to extracurricular activities and community empowerment, among an array of activities.

To encourage children to come to the library, the club members introduced a feeding programme, which is a shot in the arm for a slum in dire need.

"There is widespread poverty here and the children often turned up at the library hungry. We realised it was futile to engage them in reading in that state," says Osir Caleb, the project’s coordinator. It worked magic. From an attendance rate of a paltry 15 children at the beginning, now the library receives more than 50 children per session. The sessions run from 2-4pm on weekdays and 10am-10pm on weekends.

The library has also witnessed increased membership subscription from adults, whose thirst for knowledge has driven them to the library in droves.

"I enjoy reading a lot," quips Hussein Ramah, 68, whom we found reading a book titled Conversation with God.

"The book inspires me and gives me hope against the hopelessness that abounds here. It has also sharpened my mind and given me a different world view," he continues.

Community members borrow books for a month at subsidised rates of Sh10 for children and Sh30 for adults. There is surcharge of Sh100 for any major damage to the book for adults.

Commendably, club members also volunteer to teach the children free of charge. (Incidentally, the library resembles a kindergarten or junior primary classroom with charts and pictures hanging on the walls.)

The free tuition is a boon to children who cannot access formal education for one reason or another.

One such beneficiary is Omar Basil who is mentally challenged. He cannot go to a formal school because his parents cannot afford fees.

When we arrive at the library, Basil is jovial. He giggles and fumbles with his bottle tops but will not respond to questions at first. However, with more prodding — and the promise of a packet of chips — he scoops a handful of the bottle tops and in a hoarse voice and some reluctance, counts to 15.

Yet several months ago such a feat was unimaginable.

"Our volunteer members are experienced and patient with the children, which is why they have made good progress with Basil and others," says Osir.

This remarkable library, that came about as a result of a chance encounter is the brainchild of Ron Reason, a worldwide expert in design and publishing and a consultant to the Standard Group. Reason met an avid reader in a chang’aa den while he was scouring Kibera with Osir for budding artistes.

He recalls: "One guy strikes up a chat. "I love a good book. Do you like to read?" Nonchalantly, he tosses at me his current read — or rather, the ripped-out middle third. The front portion of the book has been passed on to its lucky next reader. The final third, well, he’ll have to get to that when he can find out who has it. It’s all about sharing when it comes to books in Kibera, if it comes to that at all."

Reason noted that despite their circumstances, Kibera residents were readers.

He says Osir told him Kibera had no library: "But I wasn’t surprised, there is barely running water, let alone other facilities. The adults, with plenty of time on their hands, are more than eager to read, it’s obvious; books for children in school are hard enough to come by, let alone those for the pure joy of reading," he observes.

Reason says he considered it a sad affair that the children might not get to read, for example, books like Miss Pickerell on the Moon, one title that, he says, "Oddly sticks in my head as having provided joy and distraction in fourth grade."

"Sure, it’s the ludicrous, implausible tale of a grandmother exploring interplanetary travel, but who more than these children needs the message that improbable dreams can come true," he observes.

When he went home to Chicago, USA, he set the wheels in motion for the library to be set up. In just months, he had collected many books from friends and children and fundraised and devised other ways to ship them to Kenya. Shipping is expensive.

He notes that among their coming goals are to form a book club, a reading discussion group where 10 or more adults and teens will read a book and then meet to discuss it. The goal will be to help the community.

"The first book will likely be Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father. The club already has several copies but needs at least 10 before they can begin this," he says.

Discussion points will focus on volunteerism and creating community change from within a big theme of the book.

"Reading was very important to me as a child. I grew up with modest upbringing and was the first in my family to attend college. Books were a key to my doing well in school, obtaining scholarships and pursuing a better life. So this became a focus of my desire to give something to Kenya, when I visited Kibera after last year’s post-election violence. I saw the community was working hard to rebuild, and saw a good spirit in the people there and wanted to help," Reason explains.

For Osir, the project gives him an opportunity to give back to society.

"Looking at these children and considering the difficulties they go through everyday, it gives me great pride and hope to see them brighten up at the sight of the colourful books. It doesn’t matter if they can’t read them," he says.

Pointing at some of the adult literature on the shelves, Osir remarks that the library will change the face of Kianda.

If all goes well, he says, the club would introduce Information and Communication Technology training to help the youth catch up with the latest in the world of communication technology.