Retired Librarian Tackles Social Inequality Through Literacy PROJECTS
She is just as comfortable interacting with the well to do in society, as she is with slum-dwellers – or as she puts it, she “can easily move from high to low” because she was brought up that way. In Kawangware, people refer to her as Mama Rangi as she has spent a lot of time there interacting with carpenters and painters during different renovation phases on her properties in Lavington, where she has lived since 1969.
Born more than 80 years ago to a banker (father) and a politician (mother) in a town called Beverwijk in the Netherlands, Rotarian Anne Marie Kinara’s first serious interaction with books came by accident as a 17 year-old. On completion of her O-levels, her mother found her a part-time job in a bookshop while she figured out what she wanted to study in university. Even then, dusting and packing books at the back of a bookshop was not quite what Anne Marie envisioned for her future – but in the Western society, humility is taught early as young people are encouraged to start small, learn new skills, and be independent.
The part-time job got her interested in bookshop management, but at the time, there were no degree programmes in that – so she settled on a diploma course in Librarianship. After a short internship at the Public Library of Amsterdam, Anne Marie joined the Royal Tropical Institute of Amsterdam where she worked for 6 years and while there, met and befriended a Kenyan doctor who was studying at the Institute. She later enrolled for a part-time Geography degree course and was a member of the UN student association.
When an opportunity came in 1965 to take up a six-weeks study tour in a developing country, Anne Marie chose Kenya as she had heard a lot about the country from her Kenyan colleague at the Royal Tropical Institute. While on the study tour, Anne Marie met the late Tom Mboya – the then Minister of Economic Planning and was fascinated by his intelligence and passion for Africa’s development.
More than 50 years later, and a wealth of experience as a librarian in different Kenyan institutions including: Macmillan public library, Veterinary research library, Ministry of Agriculture departmental libraries, United States International University (USIU) library, there is no doubt that Anne Marie is serving her purpose. She is a published author and was instrumental in setting up a documentation centre and contributing to the modernization of the National Archives.
On retirement from USIU, Anne Marie set up an NGO to provide library and information support services at Rahimtulla house in town. It had non-profit intentions as library users only paid Kshs. 25 on each visit. This could however not sustain the library and after a few years, it closed down. Even though she was active in her community as a member of Lavington Residents association, she still felt isolate on retirement – and when a friend introduced her to Rotary, she thought that this would be a perfect way to socialize.
So far she thinks that it has helped her keep in touch with people from different professional backgrounds and ages. She also thinks that Rotary has the potential to do so much more for the less-to-do residents of low-income areas in Kawangware, Riruta and Dagoretti – where most of the guards, house helps and gardeners who work in the more affluent Lavington live.
At the Rotary Club of Nairobi Lavington, Anne Marie plays an active role in the community service projects committee and has consistently advocated for literacy projects – including provision of her technical skills, and the mobilization of resources to renovate and equip two community libraries in Dagoretti and Waithaka and contributed to the promotion of a reading culture in children growing up in the area.
She is concerned however that even though many of our efforts in Rotary attempt to do good for the people, we might not be one with the people. Once we start seeing ourselves as a part of the community, she says – and not them and us, we will be able to bridge the ever-widening poverty and inequality gap.
Rotary can do that.
By Jane Maonga – Lavington Rotary Club
