How We Built a Library
Group shot at the first library
Children getting involved in setting up the library
Conducting games for the children
Waiting for the library to open
“Wait. How far from Manila did you say it was again?”
“Err, about 10 hours? Depending on the traffic. By bus. It’s basically a village along the highway.”
“… I’m going to have to think about it.”
This was the slightly inauspicious exchange between my brother and I which sparked off my trip to the Philippines.
***
Let’s back up a little. Back in December 2010, my parents and younger brother visited our domestic helper’s village in Nueva Vizcaya, Luzon. Our domestic helper, Dina, has been with the family for 23 years and counting. This was to be the first family visit to her village. I was unable to go because of, you guessed it, work. As the visit was to take place over the Christmas period, my family wanted to bring a Christmas present to the local community – and they hit upon the idea of collecting second-hand books to set up a small library.
We, therefore, collected 1,200 books over months leading up to December 2010 – and we were surprised and humbled by how generous our friends and family were with parting with their second-hand books. We sorted and labelled the books before shipping them over, and my parents and brother proceeded to physically set up the library in an unused annex to Dina’s house in her village. My only role in this whole process was to contribute towards the shipping costs.
Fast forward to early 2012. The library which my family had set up was thriving and we were told that other not-so-nearby villages were interested in having similar libraries set up in their communities. My brother was assembling a team to go back to the Philippines in mid-2012 to set up a new library in Isabela, Luzon. While he did not explicitly ask me whether I was interested in joining the team, I began considering whether I should go for this trip.
Although I was busy with work, the trip was going to be during the mid-year Court vacation, and I needed to find a chance to clear my leave anyway. But I did have conflicting thoughts. Given how hard it was to take leave, shouldn’t I reward myself with a “proper” holiday instead? I had been working at full capacity since I started practice in mid-2010 and my last proper vacation (aside from a couple of short jaunts) had been more than a year ago. Didn’t I deserve a break? Besides, I had never gone on any overseas community service trips in the past – what if it turned out to be an unpleasant experience? Wouldn’t the trip then be a terrible waste of my leave allotment?
Despite these selfish thoughts, I did feel a certain tug to become more involved in the project instead of remaining on the sidelines forever. I was curious and somewhat excited to see for myself the existing library, which was partially a result of my contributions. I was also intrigued by the idea of being involved, at the ground level, in setting up a new library. Finally, while it was certainly not going to be a conventional holiday in the usual sense, it would still be a trip out of Singapore to experience something different from my daily life, and I figured that it would probably be an enriching – though not necessarily comfortable – experience.
***
Once my mind was made up, the months leading up to the trip flew by. On top of my usual heavy workload, I had to find the time to prepare for the trip. Besides sourcing for more books, we also had to sort the books and arrange for them to be shipped over – no small task, considering that we managed to amass around 1,800 books for the second library. Again, we were humbled by the generosity of those we approached, which included organisations such as the National Library Board, the Singapore Bible Society, and First Aid Supplies Pte Ltd. We also took some time to pick up some basic first-aid skills as we intended to conduct basic first-aid courses for the local communities, and also planned some games and activities for the local children to participate in.
And then the trip was underway. After a four-hour overnight flight to Manila and a bus trip which “only” took about nine hours (thanks to light traffic), we arrived at the village which was to serve as our base for the next nine days. The first thing that struck me was the excitement which greeted our arrival. Within moments of our arrival, every child in the village (it seemed) had clustered round to gawk at us. Everyone seemed eager to just hang around but most of the children were too shy to actually speak to us. Overseas visitors to the village were, it seemed, a rare event. We spent the rest of the day interacting with the local children and going over our plans for the next few days.
Our primary task for the next few days was to set up the new library. Our days started early – we were up by 6am most mornings – primarily because of the two-hour bus trip between our home village and the village where the new library would be set up. We would commute back to our home village at the end of each day. At the new library, the books had already been shipped over and shelves had been set up. Our task was, therefore, to label the books, fill in and insert library cards behind each book (for loan tracking purposes), and to shelf them according to categories. It was back-breaking work in stifling heat but we were heartened by how the local community immediately took ownership over the library and the project. Local volunteers consisting of parents, teachers, and local politicians formed themselves into small teams to work on specific tasks (with some guidance from our team) and we were able to complete the logistical aspect of the project ahead of schedule.
We also spent a significant amount of time guiding the local community on how to run the library. For many of the people present, this was their very first encounter with a library and it was necessary for us to explain how books were to be borrowed and returned. However, the process was also intentionally consultative – we were conscious of the need to work in the local context, rather than implementing top-down processes that might not be sustainable in the long run. In addition, we also sought to equip local teachers and community members with tools to conduct weekly enrichment classes at the library (so as to make the library a community focal point). This task was primarily undertaken by one of our team members with a pedagogical background.
To cap off the opening of the new library, we had planned to organise games and activities for the local community on our last day at that village. To our surprise, when we told the local community of our intention, everyone got involved and the events for the day metamorphosed into a full-blown opening ceremony, with speeches and performances put up by the local community. This was in addition to the games we organised for the children, a basic first-aid course we conducted, and a lucky draw with prizes we had brought over from Singapore. The festivities of the day were also punctuated by a visit from the local mayor who was on her election rounds.
Back at our home village, we also spent quite some time finding out how the existing library was getting along, and had discussions with the local volunteers on how we could assist and improve on the existing systems. We also paid a visit to a local primary school and invited the principal to visit the library to see how we could expand readership and encourage a positive partnership. We also organised games for the children and a lucky draw for the local community at our home village.
We did have the time to rest and relax from time to time. We found the time to go to the nearby hills to visit Dina’s family farm and do some trekking. We also visited nearby towns and, one memorable afternoon, took a swim in a nearby river. I also spent time just talking and interacting with locals. For a week, I was able to experience a way of life which was a complete contrast to living in Singapore. At the tail-end of the trip, we were also able to spend a couple of days in Manila before our flight back to Singapore.
Despite all my earlier concerns, the trip ended up being personally enriching and fulfilling, and I was glad that I had decided to go.
***
What were the lessons I learnt along the way?
First, this trip reminded me of how there is a wider world out there, beyond what we encounter in our daily lives. It is too easy for us to only focus on what is right before us and to adopt a selfish and narrow world-view. But there is more to life than simply dealing with whatever has been placed right before us. We short-change ourselves and the world if we do not consider how we can contribute to the world at large. Every one of us has the potential to give so much back to society – especially given the profession we are in – and we are limited only by our willingness and imagination.
Second, I was reminded once again of how fortunate most of us are to live in Singapore. It is an amazing luxury for us to be able to pop into a nearby library and pick up a book at any time and I must confess that this is a privilege which I had taken for granted all my life. I was reminded in particular of how fortunate I was, in my youth, to have all the books I could ever ask for to feed my voracious appetite.
Third, I was humbled and amazed by the people around us who have been so generous with their time and resources. People often complain that Singapore is becoming a cold and selfish society but this experience has shown me that people are still willing to open their hearts and contribute towards a worthy cause – even one which seeks to benefit overseas communities.
Looking towards the future, we have taken steps to formalise our efforts with an eye on continuity. We have set up a registered society, Reads For Kids, so as to enable us to accept public donations. On the practical front, we will set up two more libraries next year – one in the Philippines again, and another in China!
As a side-note, we are always looking for second-hand books to go towards the new and existing libraries. We are also on the lookout for volunteers to assist in logistical activities or to even join future teams. We also welcome assistance of any other kind. Do leave a message on the society’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/reads4kids/ if you would like to find more about the project and I will get in touch.
► Khelvin Xu
Rajah & Tann LLP
Showing the mayor around
Sorting and labelling the books