2014
The new Kasese library is in the Kikonzo area of Kasese.
Why here? Over the past 10 years, Kasese town has seen a fast growth from a Town Council to a Municipal Council. People want to stay in Kasese due to the many employment opportunities resulting from the industrial growth in Kasese town (Kasese cobalt factory, Hima Cement factory, lime mining, Electric power generation and recently the revival of Kilembe mines.) As a result of the high influx of population, new residential areas have grown up and most of the available services are not capable of serving the growing population in Kasese Municipality. Kikonzo Zone Railway Parish, where our Library is located, is one of the newly developing parts of Kasese Municipality.
With a high population and located about 2 kilometres from the town centre, the people in this area do not have access to a number of services including communication.
There are also a number of schools that have opened within this area and are not financially able to install internet services within their premises. The internet facility at the library will be accessed by both students and the general public.
Benjamin showing us the building works in 2014
It started with a building with a perimeter wall for security, a toilet behind the building, a pile of books in the local language and a small room which would become the local AWU NGO office.
And so AWU UK began a fund raising drive reaching the target of £4000 required to pay for rewiring, decorating, shelves, furniture, installation of computers, internet provision and security gates.
Thanks to the generosity of givers in the UK and voluntary labour in Uganda, including the NGO team and UK visitors, the library became a reality.
Work continues throughout 2014 both outside and inside.
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By 2015 the office was ready, the computers and internet were installed, the outside area was ready for briquette making and training of local briquette making champions, complete with shelving to dry briquettes and a rain water butt to provide necessary water for briquette making. Training began.
training briquette champions for Kasese (left)
in 2018 Amahawe Uganda NGO purchased the plot of land by the library and, with funding from AWU UK, are transforming it into a secure, peaceful garden for use by the women's groups and local community groups to meet. Read more on the blog here
