Ebussamba Primary receives New Library

Imagine going to school with no books! There are no story books in your home. And no school books in your backpack. When you get to school, the books aren’t there either. You have to find a buddy who has a textbook. Then you and two or three of your friends can share the book together.

That was how things used to be at the Ebussamba Primary School in Amesbury’s sister village of Esabalu, Kenya. But now, thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club of Amesbury and the Rotary Club of Maseno, Kenya, the village school has a reading room/library to provide access to schoolbooks for all 900 students in grades 1 to 8.
The school headmaster and school council provided a classroom. Vibrant Villages, an American NGO in Portland, Oregon, provided library training for the staff. They also bought building materials to build out the existing space. School parents provided volunteer labor. The two Rotary Clubs, with a matching grant from Rotary International, provided funds to buy the books.

The Ebussamba Primary School Library was completed and dedicated in May 2015. The entire project was completed ahead of deadline and under budget! At the dedication, the representative of the Ministry of Education announced that this was the first primary school to have a library in the whole district. The parents and teachers are so proud of their accomplishment.
Students using library
The new library can hold 100 students at a time and there are sufficient textbooks so that every student can be studying his or her lessons with his/her own book.