Kids Reading Everywhere

The last post was about Muktar who cared for camels in a traveling library that arrived to his school in Kenya on a camel. (Muktar and the Camels by Janet Graber.)

But there's more!  Kenya has some creative ways to get books to kids.  The Mleta Hadithi project in the western village of Esabalu is another way.  Mleta Hadithi means Stories are Coming in Swahili.  Young women created a mobile library and bring book to children. They do story times  under the trees.  

When I was a child, my mother  and I always watched for bakeries and libraries when we were in a new town.  I still see bakeries and libraries as the gems of a town.  I visited Esabalu where the Mleta Hadithi invite children out for story times. I also saw children at Ebukuya School. (left). They were getting uniforms so they could attend school.  I saw curriculum books in the Ebusammba School library (right.)  In  Nairobi I met Anne Mooore of Kids Libs,  a program that runs libraries in Nairobi slums. Here is a photo from the KidsLibs web site.

In Oaxaca, Mexico we found an amazing panaderia (bakery!)  not far from the town square. We  saw the library at the Centro de Esperanza Infantil, a support program for Oaxaca street children.  They have a kindergarten and support children with medical care and meals until they graduate from high school.  Here's their library:

  

 We also saw a Oaxaca public library with a large collection of picture books.

I don't have a picture,  but I loved the pastel de tres leches (three milk cake) at the bakery.  Dear Reader,   please send along a snapshot, in words or a picture,  of libraries or bakeries from your corner of the world.  Maybe somewhere there is a library with a bakery next door.