Rehabilitation of a school library in São Tomé and Príncipe

The school library space is an annex to the main house which, due to its infiltration problems and lack of sunlight, does not have the necessary conditions for storing books and teaching materials.

The International School is a Private Institution, located in the city of São Tomé, on Avenida Amílcar Cabral. It is a school that has a Portuguese curriculum and is in the process of being recognized by the Portuguese Ministry of Education. Although it is a school that teaches the Portuguese curriculum, it adapts its Annual Activity and Study Plan to the Santomean culture, the community surrounding the school.

In 2009, due to the pressure of the limitations of public education, a group of parents and friends got together and created the APRENDE Association, non-profit, which only aimed to realize the dream of creating a School that responded to differentiated education in São Paulo. Tomé. However, it was only in 2011, with the imminent entry of some children to the 1st Cycle, that the project materialized. With the help of the Silves Sul Group, it was possible to start the project, with just 12 students, divided into two classes. Currently, in the current academic year, the School has 105 students enrolled, distributed across five 1st Cycle classes.

The space dedicated to the school's library has been unused for around two academic years, due to a leak in the roof and, consequently, in the wall. Before this problem, the library was open, although the space was not the most suitable for the intended purpose. The room dedicated to the library is quite damp and without natural light, and only has a small window. The materials available there, in turn, are the result of donations and, therefore, many of them are old books and unsuitable for the context in which the school operates. Furthermore, the School has another recent space next to the library, built with the aim of creating an ICT room, which is currently unused due to infiltration, as both spaces share the same structural wall.

In this sense, with the help of the fund raised, the aim is to carry out work to unify the library space with the ICT Room space, in order to create a large, bright and spacious space. This work will allow the creation of a harmonious place that will contribute positively to the development process of the School's children.

About the author

Hello everybody!

My name is Inês Varela, I'm 26 years old and I live in the city of São Tomé, in São Tomé and Príncipe. I have been a 1st Cycle teacher at the International School of São Tomé and Príncipe since September 2022 and Pedagogical Coordinator since the beginning of this academic year.

Since I have been working at the School, the library has been closed due to poor conditions. In my opinion, in a 1st Cycle of Basic Education school, it is essential to have a calm and organized place where teaching activities are promoted that encourage interest and a love of reading. Even more so in the context of a country like São Tomé and Príncipe, where there are no bookstores and the resources available at the National Library are scarce and not available for request.

In this sense, from this problem arose the dream of creating an inviting space in the institution to carry out activities that promote and stimulate the acquisition and development of reading, with the institution's students being in the age group between six and ten years old, a height conducive to developing and stimulating interest and enjoyment in reading.

Budget and due dates

The rehabilitation of the space is designed to begin during the summer vacation period, on August 1, 2024. The rehabilitation project has an estimated execution time of 30 days. The project budget, prepared by Engineer Henrique Posser, has a value of €2898.79. In this sense, the amount requested in this fundraising includes the budget and the amount to be paid for the PPL platform services.

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