Students engrossed in their homework last month at the new Adilo Public Library .
The Adilo District’s first-ever public library and computer center, which opened last month, is getting rave reviews. It’s attracting lots of students and other community members, who come to take advantage of the library’s extensive reading materials, study areas, computers and Internet access.
“This library is like a light for the students at Adilo and the community at large,” said Tessema Arficho, a local government representative, during a tour of the library in mid-November. During his visit, dozens of students could be seen studying while trained librarians were helping other users.
The new library – accessible to 22,000 community members – is the latest step in WEEMA’s goal of building and equipping a public library network for the entire Kembata-Tembaro Zone, which has nearly one million people, roughly half of them children.
Public libraries are relatively rare in Ethiopia, especially in isolated rural areas where schools are poorly equipped and students have little or no access to updated textbooks, quiet study space and the Internet. These barriers can limit students’ ability to study and their overall academic performance.
The new library has hundreds of new books, 20 computers, latrines and a generator to keep everything running. It also has a study area for secondary students preparing for national exams and a reading area for younger children.
With the government operating the library and using WEEMA-trained local staff, the community’s long-term commitment to the library is clear.
The library shelves are stocked with textbooks and other reading materials for students of all ages.
