• Staff ReporterIn 2018, a project by student Hannah Brendell transformed the library at St Barnabas Primary School in Katutura into a functional facility that is still benefitting pupils one year on.
Currently studying international relations with a focus on economics at Agnes Scott College in the USA, Brendell was inspired by another initiative she participated in 2017 in Kenya. The NGO she was based at is Kumbuka Universal Learning Experiences (Kule).
“The term kumbuka means ‘remember’ in Swahili,” Brendell explains.
“Due to past experiences with Kule and personal experience growing up in a family that valued reading, I know how transformative books are,” she continues.
This social project is a requirement at the college she attends, as it must be an original initiative students started.
“This dream became possible when I received an award from the college I attend to initiate a social justice project in Namibia in 2018.”
Brendell developed the project so that it focused on the restocking of the school library with interesting and age-appropriate books that will aid the pupils in fostering their love for reading.
“I dedicated three months to working directly at the school through firstly surveying classes, especially the newly implemented ‘reading periods’ by the Ministry of Education,” says Brendell. This method assisted her in being able to gauge the reading level of the pupils and what reading material they had.
When asked what condition the school library was in when she first arrived, Brendell responds: “When I arrived at St Barnabas, the library had been underutilised, understocked and poorly maintained”. The process began by purchasing books, both new and second-hand, while also requesting for book donations. Funds were collected and this was used for purchasing as well as making the library more child-friendly to be an enjoyable space for the pupils.
“To make that possible, I invested funds into games like puzzles, colouring books, posters, colourful chairs and a large carpet which all created a more tranquil reading environment,” she says.
Brendell requested the school to discard broken computers and to purchase curtains and invest in new tables that provided the library with a polished look.
The next phase of her work started with the labelling, mending and shelving of books, as well as supporting the teachers in charge of the library where necessary. She also included story time sessions to encourage pupils to get involved with the library. “Afternoons consisted of reading stories to little ones and opening the library for grades 4 and up,” she adds.
The teacher who was involved with the revamp, Aune Mwangala, says: “Brendell came in and had the library upgraded. She had some funds from the college and that was used to help with the upgrade.”
An entire library system was created along with the revamp that included the cataloguing of books, introduction of library prefects and to provide the supervising teachers with necessary tools over the library.
The school hopes to have community input for other initiatives and projects such as fundraising events to complete their school hall.
