Suna Migori Rotary Club has donated more than 40,000 books worth Sh52 million to the Migori Public Library to promote a reading culture among school-going children and the wider community.
Speaking during the launch of the library at Msomi buildings in Migori town, the Suna Migori Rotary Club President, Charles Koyoo, said that there was a growing need to promote the reading culture among the youth.
He disclosed that the idea to start a library was mooted three years ago when Suna Migori Rotary Club discovered there was no public library in Migori town.
According to the Suna Migori Rotary team, reading culture was one of the main initiatives that drove them to hatch a plan to establish a library to inspire the younger generation to read books.
Koyoo explains that by reading, the youths and the community will be better informed on a wide range of topics including culture, life skills, technology, innovations, and politics, among others.
The 40,000-book donation project cuts across various genres of topics and themes to serve every generation for the continuation of a reading culture among the community.
Migori County Secretary Oscar Olima, who graced the launch of the new library, said that the county government will continue to provide avenues for more partners to join the course of promoting a reading culture in the county.
“We will continue to open more public libraries in the sub-counties to create space for donors and partners to stock educational, life-changing, and economic books, among others, to enlighten, educate, and entertain society,” said Olima.
The County official revealed that there was a growing gap between young and old people in terms of absorbing knowledge thanks to the new technology of mobile phones.
He however advised the youth to focus on reading books to enable them to understand much deeper concepts that are not found in digital spaces.
Olima noted that the new accessible library will provide an avenue for the young people to appreciate the culture of reading books and understand their African roots, life skills aspects, and innovations.
Meanwhile, Rotary Official Mr. Peter Lattey said that the team discovered a lack of a public library within the county, something that prompted them to start seeking funds for the project.
Lattey, who is also a humanitarian and an architect, has been working with the Suna Migori Rotary team for the last 13 years, explains that the lack of a library in Migori town was a hindrance to the reading culture, especially among young children.
He noted that by working with Rotary International through other 10 Rotary clubs mainly in the United States of America (USA) and Canada, they lobbied for funds to purchase books for Migori County.
The Rotary Official also revealed that through ‘Books to the World Organisation’ (a Rotary organisation in Texas, USA), they were able to acquire 40,000 books that will help to improve the reading culture among the Migori populace.
He thanked Migori County for establishing a library that will be stocked with books for the sole purpose of giving the county residents an opportunity to interact with large volumes of materials, for the purposes of being well informed, educated and inspired.
Rhoda Achieng, a student studying Economics at Rongo University, said that the library has come at the right moment when she is pursuing her academic career.
Achieng described the Suna Migori Rotary initiative as heaven-sent, a noble project that will not only provide learners with materials to read but also promote the reading culture among the Migorians.
Suna Migori Rotary Club has also been actively driving sustainable community development across Migori County, with a special focus on water and sanitation by providing clean and safe water for residents as well as economic empowerment of young people in the education sector.
by Iventer Anyango/Makokha Khaoya
