Published:
Children from a Malaysian village have been supported by Heriot-Watt University Malaysia (HWUM) to help to design their own village library.
45 children from Dengkil, Selangor, came to the University's Malaysia Campus for a one day 'camp', commissioned under the Hope for Reading project by Malaysia's Ministry of Higher Education and jointly organised by the Ariston and Rotaract clubs of HWUM. Activities included games that incorporated English vocabulary and Mathematics, water games and a mini competition for them to design their own library. Their design ideas will then be taken into consideration when setting up a community library in the village of Bukit Bangkong where the children live.
The children enjoyed themselves thoroughly and gave positive feedback on the camp. It was also a fulfilling experience for the volunteers who had the opportunity to interact closely with the children, to understand their living conditions and learn about their interests.
The visit also involved a questionnaire on the children's reading habits, to maximise the impact of the project, and the team will later travel to Bukit Bangkong to kick-start the construction of the library.