Library Construction and Book Donation for Lhanguene Piloto Primary and Secondary School in Mozambique

The Intl. WeLoveU Foundation, which had been carrying out diverse activities such as blood drives and cleanup campaigns all over Africa, set out to support the education of Mozambican students.

About 2,100 students of grades from 1 to 10 (7 years of primary school curriculum, and 3 years of secondary school curriculum) attend Lhanguene Piloto primary and secondary school located in the outskirts of Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique. In the school, there was a library, but it was very small; it had a total of 800 books piled up, here and there, for lack of bookshelves. Also, most of the books were suited only for secondary school students, and primary school students had no diverse educational materials, which made them walk a long distance to find the books that they needed, in other libraries. The teachers agreed that the school desperately needed a library of decent size for getting knowledge and studying.

The Intl. WeLoveU Foundation came to know the situation of the school, discussed with the school staff, and decided to build a new library and provide books. A location, five times larger than the one before, was chosen on school campus, and the WeLoveU members who work in relevant fields, took the lead in the construction work. About forty other members assisted the work by cleaning up the dust, while the leading members were designing and building the library with bricks, one by one. The school staff and government officials frequently visited the construction site to look around, showing gratitude to the members.

The construction work started from 18th of October and continued for one month; it was completed on 18th of November, after filling up the library with books. 150 books about various fields such as mathematics, geography, history, biology, Portuguese, French, and English, were additionally placed in the library; the students, then, had access to wider spectrum of educational materials. The insides of the building were painted in white color; and wooden bookshelves, tables, chairs, and fans that were arranged for the students to pleasantly make use of the library despite hot weather, and librarian’s desks were placed in the library.

The library completion ceremony was attended by students, teachers, the principal, the superintendent of education of the city and of the state along with the members of the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation. The students were overjoyed for the fact that they could read a variety of books in a bigger place. Viviana Luciana (12 years old) said, “I used to borrow books from my friends, or couldn’t get books that I wanted. But thanks to the new library, it has become much easier to have access to knowledge.”

Armando Mutemba, Superintendent of Education of the State, complimented the WeLoveU members, saying, “Libraries play a vital role for the intellectual development of students. The school, which has been endowed with a new library, is very lucky. I heard that the constructors worked day and night without rest. I’m very sure that it wasn’t an easy task, but they’ve done it well with much effort.” He added, “Chairwoman Zahng Gil-jah of the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation and the members really take care of others with the love of a mother. They are setting an excellent example that we all should follow.”

Isabel Marote, Superintendent of Education of the City, said with thankfulness, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation for the beautiful gift (a new library). It will give hope to the students and will have positive effects on other neighboring schools.”

Meanwhile, the news received the most attention as it was spread all over Mozambique through the press and broadcasts. On a Maputo radio broadcast, members from the WeLoveU told the purpose of establishing the library while introducing various activities of the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation, which are carried out with the unconditional love of a mother. They added, “We built the library with the hope that the students will be able to study in a more comfortable place. We believe that our love has been well-conveyed to the students. We want all the students of Mozambique to receive good education for the future of the country.”

The WeLoveU’s practical way of support gave a fresh impetus to the related ministries. Armando Mutemba, Superintendent of Education of the State, invited the members to the Education Office on November 22, suggested signing an MOU, and asked for continuing cooperation.

The newly opened library will be open to the neighboring schools, too, for the improvement of the educational conditions of the local community. The enlarged and pleasant storehouse of knowledge will nurture bigger dreams and hopes for the future.