Library where learners don’t just read, they’re taught too

Christyne Nasbe with a young learner at Polkadot Library in Kabarnet Town in Baringo county on November 20,2019. (Kipsang Joseph, Standard)

It is a warm but dusty afternoon in Kabarnet town, Baringo County, a perfect time for children on holiday to play around.

The situation is, however, different here. The children are converged in a purple container, complete with shelves stocked with over 7,000 books.

This is a community library, serving more than 350 primary schoolchildren a day. It is an initiative started by a former Peace Corp volunteer and teacher, Christyne Nasbe, and aimed at improving reading skills.

There is also a computer classroom and kitchen gardens, with a variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers. The services are free.

“Not that there is no public library in Kabarnet. There is. Through this initiative, I wanted to create an attractive learning space, especially for primary school children who rarely get space in the library. The young learners also do not access enough materials to read apart from those in the syllabus and I wanted to change the narrative,” Ms Nasbe says.

Polkadot Library opened its doors in 2016 and currently has documented over 15,466 children benefiting from the services, from accessing reading materials in the library, learning eco-gardening skills to trying to be tech-savvy.

To Nasbe, the aspiration to create a “happy space” also came with the name of the container library which was made in the US and shipped while stacked with books.

“I chose the name Polkadot because not many people I interacted with in this place knew what a polka dot was and I wanted them to find out what was in the purple-with-pink polka dotted library by letting children access it. I shipped the container from the US while stocked with books for young learners,” she said.

School learners

The library also serves more than neighbouring 20 schools. The schools are each scheduled to take their students to the library for an hour every day during which some subjects are taught.

“The programmes are strictly for primary school learners, and teachers have to book for time. The lessons provided are library arts, geography, reading, eco-gardening and computer studies,” Nasbe said.

Mentors and education volunteers have carefully crafted lesson plans to supplement the children’s current school curriculum.

It is interactive and the students are encouraged to use their minds to cultivate learning and dream of new possibilities for their future.

Stephanie Johnson, Nasbe’s daughter is a volunteer teacher at the library. She teaches arts and computer studies. The learners pay for the computer classes, but some are on scholarships.

“This holiday, we managed to secure scholarships for 28 girls to learn computer,” says Ms Johnson.

In eco-gardening lessons, Nasbe said the children are able to learn sustainable ways of maintaining kitchen gardens in a bid to afford a balanced diet at home.

The move, she adds, was also aimed at training children who then train their parents to solve the challenges of over dependence on carbohydrates.

Kasok Primary School headteacher Reuben Kangwony says the library has been key in improving conservation and literacy skills of the learners. He says the children are taught the importance of recycling waste bottles.

“The young learners are exposed to many new and positive things that can help society,” says Mr Kangwony.