Nasio Trust founder Nancy Mudenyo Hunt and I wrote a novel together inspired by her childhood in Kenya and experience transforming the lives of disadvantaged teenagers by taking them to the Nasio projects in Musanda (w.Kenya). Not so Black and White is set in London and west Kenya and our target readership was 14-24 so I suggested we give copies to school libraries in the region. The problem is that there are NONE and no community libraries either. We discussed what can we could do about it.
The upshot is that Nancy found the land in the grounds of a school in Mumias and with some Kennington friends I’ve started a fundraising committee to raise £10,000 to build the first library in west Kenya in an area the size of Oxfordshire . See below the pic how you can help and a recent BBC 5 min video about the Nasio Trust.
The school will be able to use the library but so will the local community. We officially launched the campaign to raise £10,000 to build it. Korky Paul has agreed to be our patron. (Korky is the honorary life president of KENNINGTON library. He’ll be with us on November 3 to fundraise to keep OUR community library open.) My publishers Claret Press and Essential Audiobooks will fund the initial running costs. All we have to do is build it! Under the veranda we’ll mount colourful boards headed
WE LOVE READING. Any individual, family or organisation who donates £50 can have a dedication on it. 200 names and we will have raised the money! We have made a good start and raised £1,750. If any church, school, author, publisher or library would like to donate £50 we would love to hear from them.
Why do I care? Why does it matter?
I was once a seven year old girl who fell in love with books when she discovered a library full of them and she could borrow any one of them. It was a treasure trove of knowledge and imagination. How does upward mobility happen? Three ways and the last two are linked – through the acquisition of wealth or politics or through education. You wouldn’t be reading this if I had failed my eleven plus and I believe I would have failed without access to a library .
If you want to know more about the Nasio Trust watch this five minute broadcast or go to www.thenasiotrust.org
https://www.thenasiotrust.org/bbc-south-today-feature-on-our-20th-anniversary-celebrations/
How can you help?
The easiest way to make a donation to the Nasio Library Fund is via the dedicated Just Giving Page we have created in collaboration with the Nasio Trust. Just type in the link below and make your donation
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nasiotrustlovereading
or make a bank transfer to sort. 30-10-04 acc. 01074758 with ref LIBRARY. If you give £50 or more your name or that of someone dear to you will be recorded on a plaque that will hang in the library.
Hold a coffee morning or similar event and asking your guests to make a donation.
Raise money in some other way of your choosing.
Thank you. Do let us know what you are doing.
Not So Black and White
All profits from the sale of this novel go to the project. It tackles difficult issues but with hope not despair.
DOMINIQUE HENDERSON: (Our village librarian born in a multi-cultural suburb of Paris – a bit like the Wentworth Estate) says ,
This book is a true page turner. As a librarian I recommend that Not so Black and White should be on the reading list of everyone over the age of 14! It is a beautifully written eye opener – a brilliant example of how real life should be written in fiction. What I love about it is that it doesn’t down play difficulties but it shows that you don’t have to be shackled by your past. You can hope to change your own life and change the world for the better.
