On February 6, 2020, the AUN Sustainability Office, in collaboration with the Atiku Center’s “Feed and Read Program”, donated books to the Karatu Library Foundation, under the coordination of the Sustainability program’ acting manager, Raymond Obindu.
The Foundation is a registered NGO, which offers free learning resource services to the public, especially children and teenagers and has AUN’s Interim Librarian, Benson Ali as secretary.
“We appreciate the long-existing collaboration between our organization and Atiku Center, for all the support and helpful donations made to Karatu”, said Mr. Ali, who reassured the donors that the books will be used effectively.
He also urged the partnering authority to send to the center more trained educators that can communicate with the Almajiri (street children) and other vulnerable kids in Hausa and Fulfulde to enhance easy learning and assimilation.
Community Engagement Officer, Atiku Center (SENSE program), Hajia Turai Kadir, briefly gave an overview of the ongoing Feed and Read program, which she said was initiated by former AUN President, Dr. Margee Ensign, to educate and feed the less privileged and at-risk kids in the community.
“In the light of this, these educational books and novels are being extended to Karatu because of the common goal we share”, she said.
“It is a laudable initiative of AUN that the government itself is emulating.”
She then officially presented the books to the representatives of Karatu, Mr. Ali and a board member of the Foundation, Dr. Richard Kamal.
Sustainability Field Research Officer, Rotimi Ogundijo, said that AUN’s sustainability team and the SENSE program team are delighted to give this opportunity to Karatu Library Foundation.
“There’s a common saying in Africa, readers are leaders. Therefore, we believe that those kids need the donated books to become future leaders because when you take away literacy from a community you have taken it 200 years backward.”
Reported by Rofiat Adekunle