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A Library on Legs

In 1996, Wycliffe Oluoch was one lonely librarian. The library he runs in the Garissa district of Kenya had 24,000 books, but not many people came to read them. Traveling is tough in this dry, sandy part of East Africa. Roads are poor; cars are few. "We had to find a way to reach the people because they were not coming to us," the librarian recalls.

Then Oluoch (All-wutch) had a brainstorm. If villagers couldn't come to the library, the library would come to them. He knew just the vehicle to get over the hump of desert travel. The Mobile Camel Library was born.

"The camel is an ideal choice because it can go where vehicles cannot go," says Oluoch. Even four-wheel-drive vehicles get trapped in the sand in Kenya. Camels are widely used in this dry terrain because they store water in their hump and need to drink only once a month. Also, camels can carry lots of books--up to 400 pounds.

Special Delivery
Now three camels travel over the sand within 10 miles of Garissa on a regular route twice a month. They carry wooden boxes filled with books from village to village. Four people travel with the camels--a librarian, a library assistant, a herdsman and a lookout, who makes sure nothing is stolen.

For one week, the Mobile Camel Library delivers books to a different community each day. It takes a week off, then it visits the same communities to pick up the books and deliver new ones.

Kids are thrilled when the library arrives. In school they learn two languages, Swahili (Swah-hee-lee) and English. "There are more books in English because that is the language of education," says Oluoch.

In Bulla Iftin village, Mohamud Mohamed, 11, treasures his time with each book. "I really want the book to stay in my head," he says.

Some areas have bandits that might steal the books, or even the camels, so the library plans its route carefully. "For security reasons, we do not go to certain settlements," says Oluoch.

What happens if someone loses a library book? Library fines are pretty rough in Kenya. "If a community loses books," Oluoch says, "we do not go back."

Next: Kids Are People Too!