The library/resource centre at Phul Kumari Mahato Memorial Hospital in Karjanha, Siraha has grown by leaps and bounds since its establishment in late August 2014. What started out with 500 books, juice cartons used for blocks, a few games, some plastic toys from China, some crayons and copy paper has grown to 1,500 books, eight kgs of legos, dolls, 100s of stuffed animals, multiple games including chess and scrabble, constructions paper, loads of crayons and coloring books resulting in a huge treasure chest for the area children.
What I've found is a large amount of creativity; I wasn't sure what the children would do with the legos but they are constantly dumping out the entire box and creating amazing structures. I thought would these children be able to play scrabble and after one day of a simpler version they got it. The pictures created on a regular basis, although at times copied from the various books, never cease to amaze me. The chalk drawings created on the pavement in front of the Hospital are sparkling creations of beautiful colors. The children playing with the plastic kitchen toys are always cooking up something. For the past number of weeks I've been showing movies, e.g. Kung Fu Panda I and II, in the library and a number of the children got it.
Why should I be so amazed that these children having lived their lives without these "luxuries", should behave differently than any child who has grown up with these kinds of toys? Today I saw children rolling tires with a stick; this was their toy which they played with the same kind of joy of any other toy. Somehow there seems to be a great acceptance; an adaptation to what they have.
But why should I be so surprised; I think about my situation, I do have a nice flat in the Hospital hostel, a gas stove, clean drinking water and electricity on a fairly routine basis. I can't really converse with most of the people in the area, but there are usually English translators and somehow I do make myself understood, at least some of the time. I've adapted to having lived in both India and Nepal for almost six years. Could I actually live in a village, the way that most people live, without any kind of heat or fans/a/c, no refrigerators, cooking on the ground? I'm not really sure. However, I think back to when I was a VSO volunteer and they were offering more rural placements; one person said, I'm not sure that older people can adapt to a rural location. I know that isn't true, as I love Karjanha.
I wonder if the children who frequent the library will broaden their horizons because of the library experience. I would think so, but will they, e.g. go to college in Kathmandu, if they are girls delay getting married until they get an education? Will their parents understand this? For those parents who have seen the library I do think so.
I feel that what is offered at the library goes well beyond the local school systems, where the walls are bare and resources are limited. The children and I have created a playhouse where they can just be children. I've instituted certain rules, e.g. one must clean up all of the garbage in front of and to the side of the library and then wash one's hands before entering. For some reason though I have to remind the children of this before every library session. The children have to clean up the library and ensure that other children don't steal anything; although this remains an issues. They also have to share and can't hit other children, something which doesn't come naturally as I see children slapping each other on a regular basis.
How can we sustain the imagination that the library possesses as I won't be in this village for the remainder of my life? Hopefully the children will continue to step up; although there still remains a core group some of the children in charge has changed over time. I hope to get a group of 20 something's, who want to start an adult library to gradually take over, although for whatever reasons they want to do their own thing.
But no matter what, even in the short-term the library has helped various children to change the way in which they see their world. Today, two children were reading a pamphlet about the heart and asked me, "What is a heart attack?" I find a number of children using some of the, e.g. science workbooks that we have and asking me to review their answers to worksheets. I've seen one little girl on a number of occasions gather children around her as she recites the alphabet, asking them to repeat, as she wants to be a teacher. On a consistent basis, the children say "Mike Uncle" and show me what they've created just wanting a smile, a word of encouragement which I'm never short on.
My hope is that the lessons learned from developing this library and what we do in the library will somehow become integrated into how these particular children see things a little differently, that somehow this experience will enable them to be kind, think about others and make a difference in the life of their village.
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