Welwyn LRC donates vital books to Kenyan students

Oaklands College staff at the Welwyn Garden City Campus have donated hundreds of outdated books to students in Kenya. 

Faced with the challenge of removing out of date books from the Learning Resource Centre, staff at the Welwyn Garden City campus took it upon themselves to look for a productive alternative to letting quality resources go to waste. 

Learning Facilitator Gayle Anderson said:

“Our staff discussed ways which we could reuse or recycle our old books – After some online research and social networking, we managed to locate a local charity based in Stevenage, who would not only value the books, but also come and collect them from the college.” 

Just be a Child (JBAC) formed after one of its founding members visited Kenya in November 2012.
Focused on recognising the gap in the services, support and aid offered by existing charities, JBAC aim to help and enhance the educational possibilities and resources available to children in Kenya. 

The charity spends ten months collecting books and resources that are packed into a shipping container, which is then turned into a fully functioning library in Kenya. 

In addition to over 20 boxes of books, staff also rallied together across both campuses to donate unused stationary and art supplies to accompany the colleges donation, with some staff including personal items from home. 

Since the collection in April, staff at the St Albans Campus have found more items that can be donated, as the college continues its new relationship with the charity. 

Despite the hundreds of donated books and stationary items, the charity is still in need of more, as it looks to provide learning resources to underprivileged areas throughout Kenya, details of how you can donate to JBAC can be found here. 

If you are de-cluttering or having a clear out, bear in mind that there is always someone who will value what you no longer need. Take some time to consider how best you can find a way for them to be reused, recycled and re-loved!