Thanks to a generous donor STEPS donated a library of over 130 children’s books to the Holy Rock Charitable Society in Deir Alla, Jordan Valley.
The library was launched in December 2015 with a fun interactive reading event for local children. Right away one of the boys asked the manager when he would be able to borrow books and take them home. It was great to see his, and others’, eagerness to read.
Our first follow up visit was in April 2016. The sign-out book showed that over 70 books had been borrowed. The center’s teachers had also been using some of the books to read aloud to their class and discuss them. A teacher from a nearby school was interested in having a ‘branch’ of the library to lend books to their students. The center said that they might make arrangements with them on a rotational basis, or would encourage the children to visit the center to get the books directly from there.
The second follow up visit was in August 2016. We were delighted to hear that the library books had enabled a number of children to enter the prestigious Arab Reading Challenge competition launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai. Students were very excited to have the chance to participate and the center’s manager was immensely grateful for this.
Society in Deir Alla: جمعية الصخرة المشرفة الخيرية / ديرعلا
