Collins Owiyo & Dan Onyango Twende Pamoja Community Library
(Librarians)
Dan and Collins are librarians for Twende Pamoja Learning Resource Center(LRC) department, they support the education of vulnerable pupils living within the communities in Ndhiwa Sub-county western Kenya. Through the Team Kenya potential support, they are able to run the library programs and reach the vulnerable pupils in the community through mobile Library where pupils can access the information materials at their Doorsteps or in their nearest schools to help them continue with their learning during this pandemic time when schools are closed for all except candidates who are yet to sit for their final exams, that is grade eight & grade four for primary and form four for secondary.
Students are allowed to borrow books and other revision materials which they can stay with for a period of one week before exchange is done, there is exam test papers use to test these students based on the topics they have covered for the period of one week. These papers are marked by Librarians, and as well the they do tutoring every time they meet with pupils.
Beside information materials, students are also being given face mask and soaps (handwashing soap) to help them control the spread of this deadly disease in the community and Librarians don’t forget to teach the girls how to behave and precautions measures they must take when at home during this pandemic period, pupils normally do share the information given with their friends and families back at home and this has really helped in creating awareness in the community as a whole.
Twende Pamoja through LRC is trying its best to make things move forward for most families who are not in a position of helping their young ones get educative materials more especially now when the COVID19 has interrupted everything. Our Library is open for anybody and students around Ndhiwa town are accessing, colleges and tertiaries students who are in a position of accessing are doing so and many students from around Ndhiwa town are busy studying in the Library.
We normally give the most affected or likely to be affected students, that is, from vulnerable families the first priority. This has really helped to save the situation from worsening. Even though the service has a lot of challenges but we feel proud that we can stand beside the vulnerable pupils in our beloved communities during this challenging time of coronavirus.
We saw some pupils recently during the session delivery, they were making sure they maintained a social distance, But there is a need of provision of more face mask to these pupils especialy girls whom we are engauging with mostly. statisticaly in a group of 5 girls only 2 are having face mask and in a group of 10 girls only 5 are having face mask, in generaly in a group or any gathering only half will be seen wearing face mask, and the major challenge of this is not because of the ignorance of those who are not wearing but its because they luck the mask and as per the assesment done by our mentors who were walking door to door and from one home to another indicates that there are many velnerable family in our communities where not only mask is the big issue but even putting food on the table is a serious problem, and this has worsen during this Corona period.
Many families are suffering during this hardship time, not only education sector is affected but all most all sections which touches lives of many Kenyans.As Twende Pamoja organization and through the support of our partner organization Team Kenya(UK Based) we have been trying our best to the ends meet for the most affected families, the vulnerable. Since the beginning of COVID19, we have stood with many vulnerable families, providing basic needs and making sure that the girls don’t get discouraged with their learning process. we are very much thankful for the support our Team Kenya has been providing ever since and which has made us this far.
There is still a call for help, Corona is still with us and life has to continue, Team Kenya has been providing and will continue to provide but due to the large number of needy Girls, Families and people whatever we are providing might not be enough, and we are humbly calling for any wellwisher/donor to help us fight for the better life of our future generation jointly, together we shall win!👊👊
For more information about Twende Pamoja’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.
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