|
In
1989, Mr. Ken Norris, a great
support of the WHWF, visited the
education center and saw for himself
just where his money went! He was
extremely happy with what he saw and
was most particularly excited by our
rural program, and decided he would
like to give us a rural library at
the rural school Wathituga.
Wathituga is a place of farms -
small 'shambas' on the edge of a
vast plateau. The birth rate is high
and education is minimal since the
young are needed to help at home. In
many cases, our program is the only
exposure they may have to
understanding the world economical
crisis and how it pertains to them.
The Ken Norris Library at Wathituga
Primary School was officially opened
in 1991.
The
library houses its own water
catchment system.
A
new kitchen/dining hall was built
onto the library in 2007, and
contains a locked storage facility,
cooking area with work area and
kitchen sink. The kitchen is
outfitted with two eco-friendly
bellerive cookers, each capable of
cooking a meal for about 350
children, utilizing significantly
less fuel. The open areas has a
fixed bench around the perimeter,
which can seat 50 students, and
benches in the middle open area seat
another 100 students, providing the
students shelter from the elements
during mealtime. The roof of green
corrugated iron is fitted with
gutters to catch and store up to 400
litres of rainwater in a black
plastic tank. The roof is also
outfitted with skylights, and the
entire building has a concrete
floor. This new kitchen is a
worthwhile investment in this
community and an enduring symbol of
the WHWF's commitment to pioneering
environmentally sustainable
alternatives to traditional
practices, demonstrating their
practicality to the rural community
and providing training in their
proper use, to our mutual benefit.
After one year of this library being
opened, the December, 1995 exam
results showed Wathituga Primary
School ranked number 10 in the top
20 schools of the district.
Mr.
Norris passed away suddenly in 1996,
but part of his legacy lives on in
the Ken Norris Library at Wathituga
Primary School. |
