In the hills of western Uganda, PeerLink Initiative Uganda (PELI-U) serves the subcounty of Nyarushanje through a community library and empowerment centre. PELI-U has a vision for a community where its members can read, work, and live long happy lives.
https://peerlinkinitiative.org/
We observed their “Read & Skill” program where a local Primary 5 class of over 100 students comes to their community library each week for 30 minutes of reading and an hour of learning a vocational skill (cooking, tailoring, computers). Students are able to borrow a book to take home with them each week and are asked to journal about what they’ve read using guided reflection questions.
We went on to visit one of their main community libraries which they supply from their central library and empowerment centre. Due to the hilly geography and the unpaved roads, it can be challenging to travel long distances so smaller libraries in each community provides ongoing access to books for children and families.
The final program we visited was their household reading program, where a family is mentored and resourced with books for a household library. A PELI-U team member meets with the family to have a reading and reflection time which both parents and children attend together.
We brought Ugandan authored & published books to enrich the PELI-U library, the first of our Adopt-A-Shelf campaign to be distributed!
It was hard to say goodbye but we know we will be back again!
Notice the hill behind us? Students hike from the other side of the mountain to go to school each day. PELI-U staff carried books over the mountain to set up a community library.
That’s what global partnership for local impact looks like!