Western Carolina University education faculty and students made a book delivery to a remote Kenyan village recently, refurbishing a school library while they were there.
Wongonyi, a scattered settlement located about five hours drive-time southwest of Nairobi, is isolated from major population centers by sheer distance and poor roads. Nine WCU students and three faculty members made the journey from Cullowhee to the African continent beginning Sept. 28, spending two weeks.
A call for book donations, on campus and in the community, went out in June from WCU’s Center for Service Learning, with more than 3,000 publications, from reference works such as almanacs and dictionaries to pre-teen fiction, sports and picture books, shipped to the village, said Rus Binkley, associate professor in WCU’s School of Teaching and Learning and trip organizer.
Originally published Nov. 14, 2018.