NMG donates books to community library in Kisumu

The Nation Media Group has donated books to a community library in Kisumu county.

The Sondu-Miriu community library in Nyakach, located a few kilometres from the Kenya Electrical Generating Company, brings education closer to those who are unable to attend school.

Milly Ogongo, who founded it, says hundreds of children who have been using the facility since it was put up in 2001 have graduated and now support it as well.

She says she started mobilising other women to source for funds in 1999. They managed to raise Sh100,000 from well-wishers as well as their own savings.

With the support of Japanese engineers who were engaged in the construction of the Sondu-Miriu hydropower station project, the women shared their vision and through the Japanese embassy, the library was constructed.

Sabina Okoth, the chairperson of the Hera Women's Group comprising of teachers, shop owners and farmers, says the library holds more than 5,000 textbooks and three computers.

It is open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and from 9am to 2pm on Saturday.

In 2013, the library registered 27,000 users with a daily average of 74. Both children and adults use the facility. It has the capacity to hold 100 people.

The library receives support from NMG, Airtel Kenya, the Japanese government and KenGen, among others.

Speaking after donating books on behalf of NMG, Robert Muganda, the western Kenya Business Manager said that giving back to the community is one of the core values of the group.

“We give back to the community because the communities we operate in are our customers,” Mr Muganda said.

He added that NMG also partners with schools in a programme, Newspapers in Education, where schools pay just Sh10,000 and receive newspapers for the entire year.