UGANDA COMMUNITY LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION P. O BOX 34004 Kampala, plot 193, block 204 Kizza zone, Kawempe Contact: +(256) - 0772 470911 / 0701 470911 / 0700 633727 Email: ugcomlib2007@gmail.com / eanguyo88@gmail.com COORDINATORS REPORT JANUARY 2022

1. UGANDA COMMUNITY LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION
P. O BOX 34004 Kampala, plot 193, block 204 Kizza zone, Kawempe
Contact: +(256) - 0772 470911 / 0701 470911 / 0700 633727
Email: ugcomlib2007@gmail.com / eanguyo88@gmail.com
COORDINATORS REPORT
JANUARY 2022

2. 1
1.0 Introduction
This report covers activities for the month of January 2022 by UgCLA and community libraries.
1.1 Partnerships
A new partnership was formed with Health partners Uganda (HPU), National Library of Uganda
(NLU) and Uganda Community Libraries Association (UgCLA) for a funded USAID project
Connect Girls Center (CGC), a project aimed at increasing community resilience and cooperative
business performance, improving the cooperative enabling environment and access to design
strategies and solutions. UgCLA agreed to;
▪ Donate reading resources and materials to CGC established in different parts.
▪ Register girls center libraries after CGC fulfilling the requirements for registration.
▪ Share contacts of the different community libraries in Uganda.
▪ Allow GC members to benefit from programs implemented by the association with a focus
on girl’s empowerment in menstrual hygiene.
▪ Provide ongoing support to GC with an objective of integrating GC libraries into the
network for continuity and sustainability
A memorandum of understanding with Book Aid International was renewed for another one year
up to 19th
January 2023.
1.1 Friends of African Village Libraries (F.A.V.L)
UgCLA received financial support for its activities from F.A.V.L $2,400, for period January to
December 2022. We greatly thank F.A.V.L for the support rendered to UgCLA.
1.2 Community library updates
Kawempe Youth Centre community Library is one of UgCLA’s 50 most active library, located in
Kawempe division in Kampala city. Because of the pandemic children's activities and library usage
has been on hold. Currently, with the economy having been opened, the library is now open for
use. Users returning to school are making use of the library. Children's activities will begin soon
and as we write today, the library staff and volunteers are making all efforts to have the children's
section ready. books being sorted and shelved back according to the levels. Weeding of
information material is also on going to create space for new information material.

3. 2
Figure 1: staff and volunteer doing weeding, shelving in the children’s library
Figure 2: Children's library at Kawempe Youth Centre after organizing it

4. 3
1.3 Community reading project updates
Marko Lukooya community Library
Mobile Mountain Bike Library project started in December 2021 with training on communication
skills, library skills in terms of record keeping and client care. Girls were also given a chance to
learn riding skills since they were part of the project implementation. So far there are 189 Book
Aid International donated books and 309 locally purchased books because of this project. There
are a number of children who are not going back to school due to challenges parents are facing
after lock down which has called for more support in communities as far as reading and occupying
the children in communities is concern.
Figure 3: Children who have been reached by the mobile bike library

5. 4
Figure 4: Staff who conduct the mobile bike library
Katakwi community Library
Magoro mobile bicycle Library started in November 2021 with 550 Book Aid donated books and
120 locally purchased books. Activities included Interpersonal Skills and soft Skills training,
record Keeping and report writing, defensive cycling as well as library management. Pending
activities include;
• Acquiring more reading materials.
• Reading competition, Hot sit, Storytelling, and Village reading clubs.
• Access to E-resources.
• Increase on number of training and reading sessions for both children and parents.
• Social media promotion.
• Radio talk show programs.
These will be done in the continuing time.

6. 5
Figure 5: The Olir reading club
Mpolyabigere community library
This library is conducting a project named “SOMAKO-READ it”. It started in September 2021
with One day orientation for a team of 12 facilitators; individual onsite support and training for
facilitators in 08 sites. On every site visit, new skills of handling the reading writing process were
shared and passed on more caretakers. They have acquired so far 3000 books (African story
readers, Life-kills, health thematic, charts and leveled readers) through the project and 500 books
(Colorful, large books for general reading) from Book Aid International. The children and parents
are very excited. Whenever they see my car in the village, they run and congregate to read. The
parents are however reserved because most of them cannot fully participate since the books are in
English. I ordered for local language books but they are not yet ready. With the opening of schools,
curfew lifted we hope to consolidate the gains.

7. 6
Figure 6: Children reading in groups
Mummy Foundation community library
I am the story champ project started in November 2021 with 1005 locally purchased books which
were distributed in all the four centres and 605 Books Aid International donated books. Some
books were in Luganda and Atesot local languages. Volunteers were trained in book management
and repair, child counselling and monitoring and data is collected using data tools like registers,
participant tracking forms, assessment among others. They have faced a challenge of delay in
returning the books to the respective centres by the borrowers. Soon they will be doing the ‘I am
the story champ’ competition.

8. 7
Figure 7: Reading for others
Statistics from community Libraries
SN Community Library District Boys Girls Total
1 Kawempe Youth Centre Kampala 450 500 950 Students in
majority using the
library
2 PEFO-Jinja Jinja 454 721 Students in
majority using the
library
3 Katakwi Community Library Katakwi 73 94 167
UgCLA has been able to follow up libraries to provide statistics and responses still remain low.
Project libraries have been followed up as well to meet deadlines for reporting which has been
successful for the reporting periods.

9. 8
Compiled by:
Emmanuel Anguyo
Coordinator, UgCLA.
eanguyo88@gmail.com