Wednesday 11th November, Workshop, day three

We begin the day by visiting the only public library in Puntland. The library has many books from the US based Books for Africa, most of which are relevant, and it is located in an impressive building which serves as a resource for civil society. There are workshops running all over the building it seems. Back at our workshop, we agree the library could be improved by better labelling of the shelves and better organisation by subject. We discuss girls and libraries, as in Hargeisa. One group mentions that there are 'cultural problems' for females to work with males. After discussion we agree that females and males tend to sit separately. Whether this is considered a cultural problem or not, certainly in the libraries, girls sit separately from the boys, and often at the back of the library. One group suggest libraries for boys and libraries for girls. At the end, the participants provide positive feedback on the workshop and seem to leave happy - one says the most useful thing he learnt was that 'reading is food for the mind and imagination'. Tomorrow, I begin the long journey home to London via Nairobi, with perhaps a last library visit to the teachers' college here if there is time before the flight.

Tuesday 10th November, workshop, day 2.

We continue to make good progress today and have time to look at the lack of a reading culture in Puntland. With virtually no local publishing, a reliance on a limited supply of donated books, few libraries, and a predominantly oral and nomadic culture, it is not surprising that the reading culture here is not strong. We look at ways that librarians can start to address this situation and it is suggested that we need to raise awareness in the community that reading changes lives. Reading promotion will be something new here, and I hope the librarians take up my suggestions to start running reading activities and events on days such as World Book Day and on a more regular basis. Tomorrow, as part of the workshop, we visit the one public library in Puntland.

Monday 9th November - running reader friendly libraries, Puntland, workshop, day one

And now for a repeat run of the workshop I delivered in Hargeisa last week. There are less participants this time with 10 school librarians taking part, plus librarians from a local community library and a teachers' college. In contrast to Somaliland, all the librarians seem to be paid by their school so there is not the same lack of 'incentives' issue but they do not seem to have had much training. They are also quiter than in Somaliland but claim to understand me well enough so there is no translation into Somali. We therefore seem to race through the material until a few of the participants begin to struggle with the delights of the Dewey Decimal Classification System, where we shall begin again tomorrow .....

Sunday 8th November - Garowe

Up at 5.30am to catch the UN Humanitarian Air Service flight to Garowe. There are just 6 passengers and we land 2 hours later in the middle of nowhere with hardly a building in sight. Africa Education Trust’s staff greet me and I am taken to the Care International Guest House in Garowe, 40 km from the airport, accompanied by the usual armed escort. Soon after, we visit one of the two AET supported libraries in Garowe – the school has a good learner-centred ethos, with a Head teacher keen to improve the school. Half a class is in the library doing an assignment on desertification in Puntland. I speak to Abdul Kader who tells me that it is 'unquestionable' that the library improves his language skills and academic performance. He likes to read novels to improve his English and would like cassettes so that he can also listen. Abdul and his friends are anxious that the next consignment of books arrives in time for their exams next June. Like many of the shops in Garowe itself, the library exterior is brightly illustrated with a painting so no-one can miss the library. Overall, an impressive school. Later on, we visit the second school library - Al-Hawa - all the books face outwards so the arrangement of the books needs to be improved, but a number of girls come in to use the library. Nearly half the students are girls at this school, which is hugely positive

Saturday 7th November - books and prosthetic legs

It's the start of the working week here in Hargeisa, and for me, another day to look at libraries in Hargeisa. We start at the LEDAT (Local Economic Development and Appropriate Technology) Resource Centre which has a well organised and busy library. There are many books on development but the Centre also acts as a community library and a busy one at that. The chairs are all taken, so users are sitting on mats and on the steps outside to read the books. There is also a curtained off section for girls only so that girls are not too shy to use the library. Most visitors to the library are using Book Aid International secondary textbooks.

After that we visit the Resource Centre of the Disability Action Network (DAN), which has just a few specialist books from Book Aid International (such as Disabled Village Children) and a few books from other organisations. We are given a tour of DAN’s work, which incudes a rehabilitation/physiotherapy unit and a workshop making equipment for the disabled including wheelchairs, prosthetic legs, and a variety of adapted shoes. It all looks well-resourced and professional, and I leave feeling impressed. Soon after, we pass a sign explaining that this minefield has been cleared by The Halo Trust, as is the case with most of the land around Hargeisa. The mines have more or less been cleared, they are not the only source of disability, but until recently, they posed a significant threat - see http://www.halotrust.org/somaliland.html

Then on to the University of Hargeisa to see this young university’s library. The stock is relatively OK, with many books from the Somali diaspora and a small amount from Book Aid International, but there are shortages in many subject areas such as construction and environmental science where books are totally lacking. An American teaching English at the University tells me that he has to start from the beginning with most students as the English is so poor, even at this level, so books on learning English are also key. Tonight is my last night in Hargeisa before flying out to Garowe in the neighbouring Puntland Sate of Somalia, which though not close to the coast, is said to be awash with pirate money!

Friday 6th - running reader-friendly libraries, day 3

Friday is normally a day off in Somaliland but the participants have agreed to work until 11.30am. We start the day visiting the Africa Educational Trust (AET) library where participants have the chance to quiz the librarian about the library (see last Sunday’s entry) which is orderly and organised. Afterwards, we discuss lending books – most librarians are reluctant as the library stocks are relatively small. I point out research from Tanzania that concludes that pupils in schools which lend books do better academically and improve their reading abilities. We then looking at the issue of girls using libraries. There are barriers restricting use because girls have a lot of domestic work and are shy to sit with boys. Particpants suggest sensitising teachers, parents and schools to the importance of girls using libraries and also suggest special opening sessions for girls and sitting sections for girls. The introduction of single-sex libraries is also suggested (in some schools, there are single-sex classes). The women at the workshop are less shy today and contribute more, suggesting that shyness can be overcome! Overall, the workshop has gone well , and participants want a workshop every year now!

Thursday 5th - running reader-friendly libraries, day 2

Today, we looked at creating attractive libraries for readers. Participants came up with many ideas but perhaps the most important one was the role and character of the librarian. A friendly, creative librarian is the starting point for a good welcoming library. Of course the book stock and library environment are also key, as is good library organisation. I take the participants through the Dewey Decimal Classification System – and provide some book titles for them to classify. It is surprisingly quite a fun session. It is soon apparent that teaching is a bit hidden in the scheme as three out of four groups classify the Teaching Handbook wrongly (370, Education, for those who want to know!), but the participants seemed to enjoy the challenge.

Wednesday 4th - running reader-friendly libraries, day one

Having seen many libraries over the last few days, today I ran day one of a workshop for librarians, mostly from secondary schools but also Africa Education Trust outreach officers. Participants are mainly from Somaliland but a few have made it from Mogadishu where AET have programmes in South and Central Somalia. The participants are active and quick to engage, though the women are a little quieter. We look at the role of the library and librarians, and the tasks of library committees. It is soon apparent that one problem is the lack of ‘incentives’, ‘encouragements’ and ‘motivation’ for librarians i.e. pay. Most librarians receive no pay but they did for a few years up until 2006 thanks to donor support. At present, some are volunteers and some also teach.

This is always a difficult issue because so many libraries are dependent on donor support to run effectively, and education authorities , especially here in Somaliland, have few resources to offer. We discuss opportunities to raise funds in the local community, and I suggest that each library committee meets and brainstorms to try to come up with ideas. I can see there are ideas but I am not sure that they will raise sufficient funds to keep the libraries open more often and provide the right ‘incentives’ for the librarians.

Tuesday 3rd November - to Borama

A long bumpy journey to Borama, a town near the Ethiopia border. At one point we pass a farm under two conjoined hills, one is in Ethiopia and one in Somaliland, and the farm is equally split. The land is higher, a little greener and more agricultural than yesterday's journey. We visit a primary and secondary school with good libraries but then a third library has a store room rather than a properly functioning library. The books are used in classrooms and can be borrowed by older students, but a library would improve things tremendously. We are shown a large hall which they say will house the library. Then over more bumps to Amoud University, a young growing university a little out of town. The library is good, but there are 100s of copies of some textbooks from the US, not all of which are appropriate or up-to-date. Academic standards are hindered by a lack of good English, and the vice-Dean requests more books on learning English. It's a good example of how sending just any books to libraries doesn't work - the books need to meet the needs of the people who will be reading them. That's why at Book Aid International we always get request forms from our partners at the start of the year so we know what their libraries need. In the libraries many students are reading English as a Foreign Language textbooks. Back in Hargeisa, we pass the General Treading Centre!

Monday 2nd November - to the sea

A journey to the coast today, travelling through dry and arid country, only broken up by camels, the occasional abandoned tank and villages still showing the scars of war from more than 15 years ago. The libraries in Berbera are all within walking distance set in a primary school, secondary school and the Africa EducationTrust area office. Disappointingly, most of the Book Aid International books in the secondary school have been stolen. We'll need to work with AET and the schools to find ways to stop this from happening. After the libraries, we have some sweet Somali tea at a café, then head on through crumbling old Berbera with its buildings dating back 200 years, and onwards until we reach the sea. It is warm and I have a paddle, watched by our two armed escorts with their AK47s, who also enjoy a stroll along the beach. We eat fresh fish before returning to Hargeisa.

Sunday Ist November

Change of plan and visited libraries in Hargeisa today including three schools, one community library and the Africa Educational Trust (AET) resource centre.

The schools had good-sized rooms for their libraries and science books were very popular, especially those that matched the syllabus. Readers had left behind on the reading tables Treasure Island, Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket novels, so there is also some reading for pleasure.

The AET resource centre was very popular - it is likely to have been visited 17,000 times this year. University students and secondary school students were using it whilst I was there.

Two I spoke to wanted to go on and become a pharmacist and engineer, whilst another, now studying at University, had been using the centre since he was in grade 3 at school. Lots of Book Aid International books were in use. There was only one female though - partly because not many girls go beyond primary school, but in the schools, up to a quarter of students were female.

Helping to rebuild Somaliland

Hi, this is Rob Sarjant, Head of Programmes and Operations at Book Aid International, reporting directly from Somaliland on our work here.

After a day spent in traffic-choked Nairobi visiting Kenya National Library Service and the Slums Information and Development Resource Centres (sadly, their main library burnt down earlier this year and needs a lot of support), I took a small EC plane or ECHO flight this morning to Hargeisa, Somaliland. Whilst here, I will assess our book donation support and deliver a workshop for teacher librarians. Book Aid International works closely with the Africa Educational Trust who heve a local office here and have helped establish many libraries.

This is my first visit to Somaliland which, though officially a part of Somalia in the eyes of the world, sees itself as very much an independent state. It has been operating that way fairly successfuly and peacefully for over 15 years, but it is a fledgling state. Libraries are seen as one way to help rebuild and support the country.

Over the next couple of days I will be travelling out from the capital, to two towns, Berbera and Borama, to see the libraries there. Although Somaliland is peaceful, it is still recommended to travel with armed guards - when studying to become a librarian many years ago, I would never have expected this!