COMMUNITY LIBRARY

                GMM seeks by all means to establish a library of books, tapes and CDs for the community. This is to enhance education and encourage reading in the communities. This will help those who really want to study to find resources available at their disposal.  Many children find it hard to study in school because they have limited books to peruse. Most parents are poor and the majority of pupils and students go through school without a single textbook. Assignments are given in class for children to at home using designated textbooks. These children come home to beg and finally do not get the books. The result is always a poor grade in class. The children who manage to borrow books have to return them to their lenders quick, causing them to go through the text hurriedly and never enjoy the process of studying or the subject at hand.

                It is the desire of GMM to combat this situation and provide the public with a library where pupils and students have to sign in for books, read them for sometime and return them to the library. Books will be those that are used in the curriculum in Cameroonian schools. The pupils and students will be registered for them and renew their registration after every three months. A designated length of time will be provided for such children to read and return the books in good condition. We will also look for a librarian whose main task will be to monitor the movement to and fro of the books.

                We see that this will be a wonderful way of easing up the cost of education in the community and securing a sound education for the children.

                Secondly, there are individuals in the community who really want to learn, to read, but they have no means of going to school formally. Some of these people have made a distinction by borrowing books and reading them on their own. Most of them are dynamic and very useful for the well being of the community. A reading community is an informed community. It is a broadminded community, a community in the light, and a community with fantastic initiatives. A community whose members do not read is a dull and shallow minded community. It is noted that people in African societies who have done a little reading have the desire to educate their children, to make them better people tomorrow. A lot of parents who are illiterate have always been forced to send their children to school. They see no value in a child’s education.

                GMM too wants to combat this.

                How? By providing a library with different assortments of textbooks for the community. Programs are to be set up with the purpose of encouraging individuals in the community into serious reading. For example, in the Jinkfuin community, only one out of four people are able to read and write. Within the one out of the four people only few are often found with a book.

                Adult literary Classes have already been set up in Jinkfuin to change the situation. The few teachers we find lack the material and remuneration to carry out this good work. We are currently studying ways in which we can make the program to be functioning smoothly.

                Still in this light GMM has to set up seasonal quizzes in particular books, topics and subjects, to be answered during the village development sessions and other periods. A reasonable prize is to be awarded to those who would pass the tests. This will then encourage a mad rush for reading, to be sure.

                The Founder and executive director of GMM has a small library, mostly theological books. He tried this with his library and a lot of people came for the reading contest. Any person who passed the test was rewarded with a copy of a Bible or a good theological book.

                How do we expect to achieve this? We know that there are good people out there who will have concern for this vision and donate books. We accept new books as well as old books. We will be delighted to send anyone a list of books we badly need if he or she so desires. We also expect individuals to share this with people who also have tender heart towards this project. Our objective is impact.