The partition for the resource room was complete. Now we had to get to work on the shelves. Bonface was clear that MDF was the way to go rather than wood. I was happy to agree on the basis that I have absolutely no knowledge of such matters. The materials were purchased and delivered
A good start was made before we went to Mombasa. TImothy, Laban, Paul and Bonface had spent the afternoon planning, drawing and measuring. Unfortunately, the others were not available as they had to rush to Rongai, Kiseraina and Ngong to buy new clothes for the impending trip! There was a definite sense of less is more – they were very focused, co-ordinated and skilled and the first few shelves were erected perfectly.
After Mombasa, the job was continued in earnest. For the next two days, the men worked at putting up the shelves, cleaning the floor and laying the linoleum. There was a dodgy moment when Bonface wasn’t supervising where the work became faster but scrappier with wonky shelves and half hammered in nails. I was relieved when he explained that it wasn’t good enough and made them do it all again properly!
In the room next door the female teachers began the task of sorting, repairing and completing an inventory for all the books already in school – reading group books, textbooks, Kiswahili books, adult books ( a box was found in the back of a dusty storeroom) and library books. It was tedious but necessary to ensure some order would prevail when the shelves were ready.
At last, it was done. The shelves were finished and straight. Bonface was right – the MDF was a great choice! The bright blue patterned linoleum was laid, the carpet mats were set out and the chairs were lined up. Now it was time to bring in the books! I showed everyone how to arrange them to ensure a sense of display and to attract the interest of the pupils.
Finally, we all took a moment and sat there in silence. It looked fantastic. Everyone had contributed. Even Stella and Christine had left their normal jobs to make tea and cook lunch for everyone to allow us to get on with the work. The School library had gone from concept to completion in 4 weeks. All made possible by excellent teamwork. Everyone felt as sense of pride and accomplishment and rightly so.
Best of all, we still had £1000 left to purchase Kenyan books to fill some more of those shelves!
0 Comments