Library: My Hope in a Small Bamboo Room

Library: My Hope in a Small Bamboo Room


"He said he wants to convince the head teachers and library teachers that Library can be very beneficial to the children and the Karenni community." The interpretator translated what Oo Reh just said. "School library can be a place where children can learn how to read, listen to stories, and develop in areas that normal subjects in school do not teach them." Oo Reh said in Burmese. "Children can learn a moral from stories and folktales, Karenni culture and folk wisdom can also be preserved though the activities of the library."

Khu Oo Reh, KNED (Karenni Education Department) library subject coordinator, has been living in Karenni Refugee camp for almost 8 year. Before his current position, he used to be the head teacher and a library teacher at St. Paul's school; one of the primary schools in the camp. Oo Reh and Consortium staff work closely together on the Library improvement project.

Different from libraries in other refugee camp in Thailand, Karenni refugee camps have "library" as a timetabled subject in each of the primary schools. Consortium provides training and resources to help improve the quality of libraries and library teachers. Besides supplying materials for the improvement of library condition and facilities, trainings have been delivered to library teachers such as storytelling techniques Karenni folk wisdom lesson planning, and how to use big books; a large-colorful story book designed to help small children learn how to read. Moreover, a more theoretical individual training is given to Oo Reh in order to assist him in designing activities for children when they come to library such as storytelling, Karenni folktales by parents and old people in the camp, and activities related to the stories or books.

Besides libraries in 13 primary schools in Karenni Camp, Consortium also provide resource, training, and support to a library in Accelerated school, a school for youth who have never been to school.

Because of the limited copies and volume of books, Consortium arranges a books rotation system between libraries. Books that has only one or few copies will be put into "rotation bags". Each school will be given a bag and then, after one month, the bags will be rotated to a different school. This way, every school will be able to share and use every book available.

Since there are many libraries in the camp to be improved, a "model library" has been set up as an example for other library to follow. It is an upgraded version of a typical school library.

The model library is nicely decorated with colorful paper, pictures, poster, etc. Children books, publications, folktales books, magazines, games, and puzzles are interestingly presented on the two-feet-high displayable shelves. They're designed to allow children to easily reach and to display books and games. The materials look very inviting to the children.

Oo Reh's skills, determination, attitude, and coordination play an important role in helping Consortium's library improvement project. Besides the training and resource support, one significant factor that will make the library system sustainable is his and KnED's commitment. Oo Reh is a local person who will make sure that everything is going on a right track when the aid from the NGOs is eventually withdrawn.

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Sukthawee Suwannachairop