Three students of the Para Community Secondary School, in Senga Bay, Malawi watch Barry, a volunteer, helping put the finishing touches on the new library. One of the tasks is to build a reception counter.
“Mr. Barry when & where did you study carpentry,” asks one of the three students. Barry simply answers by saying, “I haven’t study carpentry, I took a ‘Do it Your Self Book’ out of the library, and followed the instructions.”
“Ah! Mr. Barry we would never be able to do that, we would not know where to start.”
Barry replied by saying, “If I can do it you can do it. Come on guys, I will show you how to use the library to find the DIY Book. Then you can make the bench that we need for the library.”
So the four of them got together the next day. They looked up the book and got busy making the bench. What a fantastic bench it is, and it was made by three of the students who never knew they could simply get a book from the library and make something like a bench. They were so very proud of their achievement.
According to Samantha Ludick, one of the principles architects of the library project, “This would not have been possible if it weren’t for the support of the Malawi Project, Universal Aide and a number of others who helped supply the necessary books for the library.”