Humjibre Community Library
We believe that every individual - regardless of age, gender, or socio-economic status - should have access to a learning environment where they can expand their knowledge and increase their literacy level. In our communities, there is lack of literary resources available, which is exacerbated by the lack of textbooks in schools. Students also have limited places to study that are conducive to learning, particularly since households have seven people, on average, and there are often power outages that limit access to light for reading.
89% of homes with children under 5 have ZERO books
50% of students using the library are girls
To give our community, and in particular students, the opportunity to learn and improve their literacy in preparation to obtaining a higher education, GHEI constructed a library in Humjibre in 2005. The Humjibre Community Library, open five days a week, has a collection of over 6,500 books, with a special emphasis on children’s storybooks, textbooks and African-authored books. With a daily average of more than 65 patrons, the library provides students and adults a quiet, rich-text environment to improve literacy skills by engaging with various types of reading materials.
Soroano Book Box Project
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The Soroano Book Box Project was launched in June 22, 2013. It aims to improve literacy in the Soroano community by providing culturally appropriate and educational books to primary school students. These books were separated into six sets, one for each classroom, and placed in wooden boxes for safe storage. Since 2013, the students received over 300 books from GHEI.
GHEI staff have worked diligently with local authorities and other key stakeholders of the Soroano District Assembly Primary School to implement the program and monitor its impacts. In 2013, GHEI staff conducted baseline literacy tests on two benchmark years Primary 3 and Primary 6. The average score of letter names knowledge of Primary 3 students improved from 38.6 to 82.2 in the 2016 assessment.
Reading Club
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Hosted biweekly by GHEI’s Library Administrator, the Reading Club is an opportunity for Humjibre Junior High Schools (JHS) students to engage with various African-authored books in a supportive atmosphere. From 7pm to 9pm, students gather at the Humjibre Community Library to read selected titles from the Junior African Writers Series or African Writer Series, answer comprehension questions, and discuss issues based on materials. The Reading Club is open to all JHS students in Humjibre, and students who participate also have the opportunity to join GHEI's annual Youth Learning Tour.
Quiz Competition​
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The library also hosts an annual Quiz Competition, open to all primary and junior high students in the area, which offers contestants the opportunity to read for pleasure, build literacy skills and then show off their knowledge to the community.
In preparation for the competition, GHEI supplies participating schools with books from the Junior African Writers' Series that will be featured in the event. Each school then selects three students who compete with their peers for the opportunity to win prizes, such as notebooks and backpacks, as well as recognition for their school. The competition features comprehension questions about the book, spelling words, and general knowledge about Ghana.
A student from Anglican Junior High School answering a question at the Quiz Competition in 2014.
In 2017, 50 students representing ten schools participated in the Quiz Competition, and approximately 2,200 people attended the event.