Students build library for children in Ghana
Two CMU students accomplished more than they expected during a two month trip to Africa.
They built a library for an elementary school in Ghana.
Dexter senior Rachel Nati and Auburn Hills graduate student Jillian Markham stayed in Tema, Ghana from October to December as part of a student-teaching program.
Both Markham and Nati said they chose Ghana for their overseas teaching experience because of their love for diversity.
Shocked the school didn’t provide a library for its students, Nati and Markham pitched a plan to build one.
After a meeting with the school’s principal, a room was set aside to become the location of the new library.
“We got all of the teachers together and told them our idea,” Nati said. “They liked it so we formed a committee.”
The committee wrote letters to the children’s parents and their own family and friends requesting donations.
The pair ended raising about $1,700 to buy books to fill the library.
Nati, Markham and a few other teachers drove to a city about an hour away to purchase books for the library.
And they were surprised just how cheap the books were.
“We were grabbing one or two of each kind. We hadn’t even used half of the money and we had bought out all of the books at two stores,” Nati said. “We were worried that there were not enough books in the city for us to buy.”
After two separate trips to the city, the committee collected more than 800 books.
“I’d have to say that my favorite memory was when Jillian and I drove up in the taxi with all of the books in the back and the kids knew why we were there that day,” Nati said. “They started shouting ‘Books! Books!’”
It made her feel like the children were grateful and she had done something special for them, she said.
“I felt really proud that we could do something to make a difference in their lives,” Nati said.
While carpenters put shelves on the walls, Nati and Markham categorized the books, created a check-out system and made rules for students to follow.
Despite only having a limited amount of time to work on the library, the two students completed the project during the last few days of their trip.
Markham said the experience gave her a better sense of life.
“Everything opened my eyes a lot and made me feel more appreciative,” she said. “Seeing all of those kids’ smiles made me feel really good. It’s hard to put it all into words.”
