Osu Children's Library Fund

It is only wo weeks until I leave to work as a volunteer with the Osu Children's Library Fund (OCLF), in Ghana. My time as a volunteer will be spent working in four separate libraries developed by OCLF under the guidance of Kathy Knowles, founder and Program Director.

Kathy lived in Accra, Ghana in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. She spent much of her time reading to her children in the garden of her home and soon invited the local neighborhood children to attend. As more and more children came she converted a guestroom into a library and hired her housekeeper, Joanna Felih, to work as librarian. Two years later, Kathy was to return to Canada but wished to see the library continue in her absence so she enlisted the help of the community to convert a shipping container into the Osu Community Library. Kathy has continued this work jointly from her home in Winnipeg and in Ghana, working with a Ghanaian Board of Directors and local Ghanaian library staff. They have built a total of six libraries and provided training and books to 200 additional libraries.

OCLF has created many programs and activities to support the cultural, educational, and even economic aspects of the lives of Ghanaians. To name some of their endeavors: adult literacy courses, drama club, soccer club, librarian training, a scholarship fund, and a food program that feeds 30 children daily. OCLF has even begun a joint venture with a publishing house in Ghana to take over the printing of a series of books with Ghanaians as the central characters, some editions being published in local languages.

During my stay in Ghana I hope to record my experiences here in my blog through journaling and recording images in photographs and video. My personal story will contain descriptions of the operations at OCLF, including my duties as a volunteer; reflections on international library development; and my interactions with the people and culture of Ghana (including weekend adventures).