Newsletter/info

BUT this is only part of the story. The PARENTS of our students in each commune, KORDIE and SAMBA formed associations from the very beginnings. They proposed and themselves built 2 community centres and 2 libraries! (Fitil added the roof, doors, windows etc.) They comprise 2 very active groups many of whom continue to work with us even though their children have now graduated. In October we had the GRAND OPENINGS of both centres, each attended by more than 300 people and included the local administration. Music, traditional dance, speeches and food and drink for all provided by the parents groups made for a wonderful day! The CENTRES provide space for meetings, classes in everything from requests from the community to agriculture, civics, women, language, theatre, dance, art workshops, documentaries, cinema, sport and lots else. . The LIBRARIES are running with 2 trained librarians. We had begun with books suggested by the teachers and students, but now we are expecting a shipment of 2,600 new French books of many sorts from scholastic to fiction, graphic novels and much more for adults and children, all thanks to the St. Paul, Minnesota organization Books For Africa, which is the world’s largest shipper of donated books to Africa, shipping 42 million books since 1988 and serving every country in Africa. We want to give them all a huge Thank you. This gift will change the life of these communities.