Participate towards establishing a national library in Somaliland through ‘Sponsor a Brick Campaign” where you can contribute money, materials-books or expertise”
By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – “A poor foundation of the youth leads to poor leadership and alleviated poverty in the future”
This was unanimously concurred upon during a media briefing by the Somaliland National Library organizing committee at Summer time restaurant in Hargeisa where local journalists were hosted to a sumptuous breakfast by the hotel.
The briefing which was organized by the Somaliland national library committee and hosted by summertime pooled its participants from diverse media houses in the country while the minister of planning and national coordination Dr Saad Ali Shire was the chief guest.
After the sumptuous breakfast and prayers the chief guest Dr Saad A Shire the planning minister who thanked the organizers and host for their endeavors said that “It is a national disaster when libraries are not availed even in the capital city Hargeisa with a population of 800,000”
While informing that the government has shown its commitment towards a national library and youth development in general as indicated in the national development plan, Dr Shire urged all citizens in the country and the diaspora to aid the establishment of the national library with financial and relevant materials.
Said he, “Libraries not only help our youth to unwind but it is a font of knowledge for we leave them more enlightened than when we entered” said the planning minister
According to Mr. Ahmed Dahir Elmi, a British Somalilander who is the leading driver behind the quest for establishing a national Library in Somaliland, the objective of the media breakfast was to avail information as per the status of the committee’s endeavors as well as enlist the media’s participation towards campaigning for support of the project.
While a number of diaspora based Somalilanders also briefed on the need for a national library in the country and
the support they have individually and communally so far managed to avail the committee a presentation by MS Salma of SLNTV put the lack and need of the library in a nutshell through a step by step discourse on why other nations maintain such facilities.
The proposed library will be an investment in peace is a step toward entrenching peace by providing kids, students and adults with an ambient place where they can go and read or borrow a book and improve their life chances through education. It is an architectural demonstration of dividend of peace, an escape from the numbing talk on conflict. This will be the first public library since 1980s to operate in Hargeisa. The only small library built by the Egyptians still lies in ruin and partly occupied by internally displaced refugees. The new library will serve a population of almost a million people, majority of who are below the age of 25. It will serve the whole of Somaliland through active programme of regional and institutional libraries and mobile library units. This will also including a camel caravan library for the nomadic pastoralists around the count
The national library organizing committee which has been conducting most of its activities in the diaspora where substantial funds and other relevant materials have been donated and continue to be, gave a brief on success so far namely:
• Allocation by the government of Somaliland a sizeable piece of land in Hargeisa for the library construction.
• Inclusion of the national library project into the country’s national development plan 2011-2015
• An architectural design of the proposed library and
• Support from various individuals and institutions worldwide
Though the organizing committee has managed to achieve the above mentioned successes the realization of the Somaliland national library is still steps away thus prevalent need for support not only in material and financial support but services as well.
How to Help
This is an open invitation to you to join our growing club of ‘Friends of Hargeisa Library’. You can help by sponsoring a ‘brick’ (£ 10 or $ 20), providing a pro bono technical support (architectural drawings, project management, Organizational Development, software design); online expertise (blogging, web design, updating). We need people who can convince their organizations or business to dedicate a special collection days or donate any amount. Sponsor a Brick Campaign Donate, collect or seek donation on behalf of the library. Each brick is priced at £ 10 or $ 20. All donors’ name will be engraved in a tile at the reception
of the library for eternity. Institutional donors or large individual donors can opt to name a section of the library after their names or businesses. This is a people led project for the global citizen who cares and wants to touch a life.
The committee has operating Zaad and bank accounts where donations can be deposited @
ZAAD ACCOUNT No: 4248066
DAHABSHIIL ACCOUNT No: HTGD 20360
HSBC Bank Account No: 41636413: Sort Code: 40-42-13
IBN GB40MIDL40421341636413
BIC MIDLGB2155M
For further details on the ‘Sponsor a Brick Campaign” and how you can contribute towards establishing Somaliland national Library visit www.hargeisalibrary.com
