ABOUT US
MISSION STATEMENT
Empowering Africa through reading.
Who We Are
Our Reading Spaces is a US-based charitable organization whose mission is to empower Africa through reading. We aim to achieve this by creating libraries for children in rural villages in Kenya. The team is comprised of individuals from various professional backgrounds who collectively bring their skills together to support the needs of the project. Members of the management team are experienced in community development projects, construction/property development, information technology, accounting, design and architecture, project management, and marketing.
We are proud to have strong partnerships with All for Africa, Bookshare, Books for Africa, Rotary Club of Thika and Kenya National Library Services, a critical government agency in our targeted communities.
While our roots originate in Kenya, the vision of Our Reading Spaces is to transcend national borders, ultimately bringing education and a new hope to children throughout East and Central Africa.
GOALS OF THE ORGANIZATION
- Provide welcoming and comfortable spaces for children and adults to pursue reading activities
- Promote literacy and a reading culture among the rural population
- Support social inclusion by meeting the community's need for information, individual learning and development, cultural pursuits and leisure activities
- Sustain the efforts of primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions
What We Do
Our Reading Spaces was formed to support Africa's children in their journey to complete education and realize their full potential. We offer support by establishing library centers where they are encouraged to learn, despite numerous socioeconomic challenges confronted in their homes and schools. In addition to books, students will have access to tutors and mentors at each learning center. These students and their communities will have access to newspapers, periodicals, audio-visual media, and the internet. Each facility will augment the efforts of public and private institutions, which are hampered in their efforts to reach the community. Clinics and hospitals may utilize our facilities for outreach and educational purposes. Literacy and learning programs will also have access to these facilities. Our centers will be operated by members of the community and will therefore be open to any organizations offering programs that benefit the local population.
Our organization identifies ideal locations for our library centers by examining key factors such as the number of area schools, proximity to other library facilities, and the needs of local health institutions. Our team on the ground engages the local community to ensure the facility will meet their needs. They also secure donor and volunteer support. We conduct fundraising activities to secure monies for the construction of the facility, in addition to the cost of shipping of books and materials. Our team will also orchestrate the vetting and selection of contractors to be included for project management. Comprehensive reports are provided to donors and stakeholders with project updates. When construction is complete, a management team will be selected from a pool of local volunteers and partner organizations. Even after a phase is completed and successful transition occurs, Our Reading Spaces will remain fully engaged in all projects that we help establish.
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