Keeping the Nkhanga Village Library Open
Just $7,300.00 per year or $20.00 per day to keep the Nkhanga Village library open.
- This is the cost of keeping the library open for ONE day:
Cobra floor polish or wax = K1.00 ($0.20)
2 Sweepers or cleaners or House Keepers @ K5.00 = K10.00 ($2.00)
1 Guard @ K5.00 per day= K5.00 ($1.00)
1 Clerk and Office orderly or messenger = K5.00 ($2.00)
1 Cook @ K5.00 = K5.00 ($1.00)
4 Library Assistants @ K5.00 = K20.00 ($4.00)
1 Chief Administrator @ K8.00 = K8.00 ($1.50)
1 Administrative Assistant @ K6.00 = K6.00 ($1.12)
Lunch for 11 volunteers @ K4 each = K44.00 ($8.28)
TOTAL = K104.00 ($20.00) Per Day
Thank You
Children watch as residents of the surrounding villages unload the books from the trucks.
On behalf of the entire Nkhanga Village Library, I would like to thank you sincerely for all your support for the last 6 years during the construction of the library. I have realized over the last few months that the Nkhanga Village library is like our brand new baby. It is experiencing growing pains. The library was not opened much from December 8, 2012 when it was officially opened up to about April 2013. This was because it was the rainy season and there wasn’t any money to even keep it open with the support of a few volunteers. But now the rainy season is over and the new Operations Committee tells me people are coming to use it. They are doing a lot of organizing and brain storming to find out if they can keep the library open with the use of volunteers only as the library has not yet established ways to raise funds to keep it open when requested. They cannot open to just keep it open. They do not have the money. Kindly spread the word about this new sponsorship campaign.
Digital Camera
The plan is to buy a digital camera and campaign to have individuals sponsor groups of people or individuals to use the library at a time. The donated funds will be used to keep the library open only for the day or days when they have people who have been sponsored to use it. These could all be students in Grade 3 at Nkhanga School, for example, or members of a women’s club, whole families, or may be a whole village. Below is the cost of keeping the library open from 9:00 am to 4:00 PM for one day. Say for example, you decide to donate money to have all students in Fifth Grade to use the Nkhanga library for 1 day, you just have to donate $20.00. The 25 Fifth Grade students at Nkhanga school then would use the library for that one day. If you decide to sponsor the women’s club, or all employees or staff of the Nkhanga clinic to use the library for a day, you pay $20.00 and they get to use the library for that one day. The plan is to take a photo of the sponsored individuals or group as they are using the library which would later be displayed on the library web page to show who sponsored what group to use the library for that month and for how many days.
Volunteers
Cataloging books in the library.
All the volunteers have already been told that serving the public at the library is not a full time job where they would expect a salary. The money they are given is for them to buy soap and detergent so that they are clean when they come to volunteer. They would also be provided lunch at the library. The library committee is holding meetings for other major further plans for the immediate future. But this current plan may get enough funding to keep the library open for some users during some days as required or becomes necessary. If you wanted to sponsor to keep the library open for 365 days from 9:00 to 4:00 PM every day that would only require $7,300.00 only (Seven Thousand Three Hundred dollars only). You can do your own other calculations.
So if you can afford to sponsor for just a day for $20.00, please send the check to me immediately:
Write the check to: Nkhanga Village Library (ZANOBA)
Send to: Dr. Mwizenge Tembo 302 Sandstone Circle Bridgewater, VA 22812
You can also use the donate button on the left side of this web page to make your donation by Pay Pal.
Young girl at the dedication of the library.
As we all continue to find ways to keep the new library open, keep the image of this girl and the community surrounding her. Think of how using the library will improve her life and the lives of many girls and boys like her in the near future. It is a very inspiring and uplifting thought.
About the Author
The author obtained his B.A in Sociology and Psychology at University of Zambia in 1976, M.A , Ph. D. at Michigan State University in Sociology in 1987. He was a Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies of the University of Zambia from 1977 to 1990.