Rotary Seeks to Promote a Reading Culture at The Kenyan Coast
Africans have been stereotyped as people who don’t like reading. There is even a saying that if you want to hide something from an African then place it between the pages of a book. True or not true, you can self-evaluate.
Another common adage is that statistics don’t lie and at the Kenyan coast, and year in year out, results of both primary schools national exams (KCPE) and that for secondary schools (KCSE) haven’t been encouraging, with the exception of very few schools in the region.
During his tour of the Little Faces Primary School project by Rotary Club of Mombasa Downtown, Rotary District 9211 Governor Eng. Patrick Obath urged clubs at the Kenyan coast to come up with projects that would promote a reading culture in the region. There is also need for mentorships and awareness sessions on embracing a reading culture so that Rotary’s education-based projects hit full utilization hence maximum benefit, he said.
“We can build schools and libraries for the community, but its full potential will be realized when the same community has been fed with a reading culture”, the District governor said.
Braving the scorching sun, the District Governor took part in some ongoing construction and put his engineering skills to good use. He mounted a wooden ladder to the first floor of the building under construction and thereafter with a hammer on one side and a tape measure on the other, he joined other Rotarians in taking measurements of the structure to ensure the site engineer was doing the right thing and indeed he was.
“Rotary isn’t just about giving out money but also skills and time,’’ Eng. Obath said.
The school that will accommodate more than 300 pupils will also have a modern information and communications technology center aimed at empowering the pupils with computer skills at an early age. The project is being funded by a matching global grant by Rotary International, through Rotary Club of St. Neots and Rotary Club of Mombasa Downtown at a cost of about 14 million shillings.
The District Governor encouraged teachers and parents to make the school eco-friendly by planting trees in the compound and use the rooftop to plant lightweight food crops like tomatoes and kales. The rooftop served as a venue for induction of one new member for Rotary Club of Mombasa.
Article by:Hassan Mbondo
