Page Turners Kenya

Books empower kids by opening up new possibilities for them. A child reads Gifted Hands by Ben Carson, and it gives them the desire to be a neurosurgeon. If Ben Carson could move from poor academic performance to a decorated career in one of the most mentally-demanding fields, so can this child. Kids in areas like slums need this exposure the most, but unfortunately, their access to books is often limited. At Page Turners, we're working to change that. Our flagship project is at the Shining Star Centre in Dagoretti. Since 2021, we have sourced for books, turned a small room in the school into a library and rolled out a weekly mentorship program at the school. To help the children make the most of these books, we volunteered with them once a week for six months. Every week, we read and reviewed a book with them. We aimed to help them enhance their comprehension and analytical skills. But we also engaged them in activities based on the books, such as debates and mind-mapping, to boost their confidence, public speaking skills etc. Volunteers at Page Turners are chiefly young professionals and university students. So, in our sessions, we shared experiences from our work and school life in a bid to inspire the kids and empower them further. One of our volunteers, a mechatronics engineer, even introduced the kids to robotics by building a robotic arm for them and explaining how it works. While we'll be taking on a new school in 2023, we'll also be working with Shining Stars to maintain a functional library system and ensure the kids keep soaking up knowledge and exposure from books. For us to keep doing this, we need volunteers and donors. If you're young and love working with kids, we'd love to have you. Watch out for when we next advertise for volunteers, which is around April. If you can donate books, board games, or funds, they'll make a true difference for the kids. Reach out to Dommy Odhiambo through pageturnerske@gmail.com