Photo: Brian-McNeil
Edinburgh libraries donate stock to set up community library in Malawi
04 August 2013
by Richard Forster
An innovative partnership between Edinburgh Libraries and North Edinburgh charity APSTAR has seen over fifty boxes of withdrawn library stock donated to establish the first community library in the Mzimba District of Malawi.
Councillor Norma Austin Hart, Edinburgh Vice-Convener of Culture & Sport, and Tamara Nyirenda from APSTAR packed up the final boxes to be shipped. “We were delighted to be approached by APSTAR about providing books to help establish the first community library in the Mzimba District,” said Councillor Norma Austin Hart. “Our libraries service has been only too happy to help this worthwhile cause. The joy of reading and the benefits it can bring are universal and is something that unites people from all over the world.”
Tamara Nyirenda, from APSTAR, said: “For the past 7 years I’ve gone to Malawi every year to volunteer in various Community Based Organisations. It is very frustrating to try to gather information on any subject as there is no community or public library in Mzimba. There is one reliable internet cafe but people queue an hour before the cafe opens.”
In April this year a local man asked members of the community to donate books for him to start a library at Mzimba Boma. He collected only 25 books in total. He had to make his readers leave the books behind and each person was allowed one hour.
“When I phoned Mzimba District Council Commissioner and told him about the 52 boxes of books that I got for the community library from the City of Edinburgh Council, he asked me several times if I was telling him the truth,” said Nyirenda. “I think the news did not sink in at that time. I’d like to thank Edinburgh Libraries for their generosity and for collecting the books and dropping off them here.”
APSTAR is a charitable organisation that was formed in 2004 to alleviate suffering amongst the elderly and other vulnerable members of the community in Mzimba District. Extreme poverty, illness, hunger, malnutrition are prevalent in this section of the community.
