During my four weeks in Ghana I will be volunteering at four different locations. The first two weeks I will be working at the Kathy Knowles Library, a small neighborhood library directed by Joanna, The library was re-named by the community in honor of the OCLF founder. It is a former shipping crate painted, decorated, and filled with books, puzzles, desks, and school supplies. It also has an adjunct building that serves as a computer lab (more information about the lab tomorrow).
The library itself is painted a beautiful blue with a covered terrace and a garden in the front. Inside, the books were kept covered overnight with cloths to keep the dust off the books (more pictures of uncovered books soon!). The classes for adult literacy learners are held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and I had the good fortune to sit in with Joanna's adult learners. I really admire Joanna's good nature and skill as a teacher. She is effective yet keeps the mood light and engaging.
In the afternoon, the children arrived. We spent the first hour reading books. I found many of my family's favorites on the shelves, including The Whispering Bunny and Max and Ruby. But the most popular books were those created by Kathy Knowles herself, a series of books featuring children from Accra. I even found pictures of Joanna and Jennifer among the illustrations. The second hour was spent playing games (matching game, snakes-n-ladders, pick up sticks), and the last hour and a half was story-time. Again, I have to say how much I appreciate joanna's teaching skills and sense of humor.
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