Do you own a book?

For the children of the Kibera slum in Kenya, reading books are hard to come by. They are a luxury that few can afford. Lessons in school can be the only chance they have to read anything at all. Yet reading is one of life's great joys and one of the most powerful tools of change.

Why create a library?

The benefits of reading are well-documented and extend far beyond the obvious ability to understand written word. It seems like such a little thing, a book, but it could be the little thing that enables a child to build a better future and achieve their potential. The little things matter!

For the children of Kibera, strong reading skills and the boost of all those other benefits can set them on the road to success and to building a better life for themselves, away from the struggles of extreme poverty.

What do we want to achieve?

Chaffinch, through locally-run project "Future Stars Development Centre", aims to establish a children's library and study space right in the heart of Kibera. We have already received donations of over 2500 children's books: many of which were donated by Stockton-on-the-Forest Primary School, York.

Rising like a beacon of hope, a new "Future Stars" building is under construction and space has been set aside for this project. You can find out more about this ambitious new building here.

Now it's time to get work underway and make this library a reality.

What do we need?

- £1300 for shipping and handling;

- £1200 for a local Kibera carpenter to fit out the room with plenty of bookshelves and study desks;

- £500 for assorted duties, taxes, and levies.

* costs shown are approximate.

We have already been able to provide around 180 books, which you can see being enjoyed in our image gallery. Supplying further books is now not possible until there is a suitable place to store them: a library.

More about Chaffinch

You can learn more about Chaffinch's work and see lots of photographs of the children we support on our website, Facebook page, and Instagram profile.