Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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SPRINGVILLE — Picking up a book can easily be taken for granted, but half a world away in the town of Lugazi, Uganda, many children have never opened a book.
So the sixth graders in Andrew Lovell's class at Westside Elementary in Springville have teamed up with Utah non-profit Musana to change that. Every penny earned during a week-long read-a-thon is going to help put books in the schools in Lugazi.
The students each have their favorites. "I like this book called 'Fish in a Tree,'" said one student. "I'm reading 'The Hunger Games' right now," said another student.
Favorites and many more to choose from; something the students no longer take for granted. As they learn more about Lugazi, Uganda from Musana Operations Director Linden Baker, the students are helping to make changes in the village.
"I've gone into a classroom and not seen one book," Baker said.
"Our idea is to have these small, mini-libraries where we are able to transfer out different books each month," Musana executive director Melissa Sevy explained.
One bookshelf in each school — it doesn't sound like much, but when you look at what else Musana has done for Lugazi, it's just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the women in Lugazi bear the economic burden for their family. A burden Sevy saw for herself when she was living there in 2009. "These are bright capable women, and yet there is no work for them," she said.
That's how the idea for Musana, a jewelry company, was born. The non-profit employs 20 women, artisans who design and make jewelry sold around the world. In return, they get a paycheck. They also receive literacy training, healthcare, and Musana covers half the education costs for their children — something Sevy recognizes could have the greatest impact.
"What we're really excited about is not just the change in the lives of our artisans but the impact on the next generation,” Sevy said. “Many of our children were not in school before Musana. Now, we have 68 who are going to get a full education."
Half a world away, sixth graders like Ellie Boyer are learning not to take that education for granted. "They've never even seen a book. Getting the chance to read one, get one, that would be awesome."
And as Sevy describes, “awesome” is an understatement. "When we see children come into our library and thumb through books for the first time and see colorful pictures or look at a National Geographic and see crazy underwater animals or whatever, the kids will sit there for hours and just go through books," she said.
Something every book-lover can relate to, including sixth graders, is that reading has the possibility of taking you to another world.
"It can help me concentrate and just relax," Boyer said. "It kind of takes you to a different place," McKailey Allen said. "Even though books don't have pictures you can still imagine it in your head," Jacob Lopez said.
With every minute read, Sevy knows these students get something more: a connection to the other side of the world. "It's kids doing something for kids. They're reading to allow other kids to read."
Collectively, the students in Andrew Lovell’s class read 42,533 minutes and raised close to $2,800.
If you'd like to help out* Musana, or want to check out some beautiful jewelry, log onto musanaintl.com.
