Granary of knowledge to fight illiteracy

By Augustine Oduor

As a university student he would buy books for pupils in his village but he did not realise he was planting the seeds of an initiative that would benefit hundreds of students.

Dero Executive Director Jacktone Ng’wuono Hongo during the interview at his office. Photo: Collins Kweyu/Standard

What Mr Jacktone Ng’wuono Hongo started as a building economics student at the University of Nairobi in the 1970s snow balled into a countrywide initiative that has helped many children fight illiteracy and poverty. For his efforts, he last month received the President’s Investiture Award alongside six others for his contribution to the music industry and culture. The award was presented on behalf of the president by Cutlure PS Jacob ole Miaron.

Years after completing his education Hongo founded Dero Community and Cultural Organisation and embarked on an ambitious performance incentive scheme for schools, teachers and students. "I gave trophies and shields to the best schools, bicycles and cash to teachers based on subject performance, and books to the best students," he says.

But this only encouraged the students to concentrate on subjects they did well in to boost their chances of winning books.

Hongo then started the first community library in Rarieda to enable pupils’ access books on all subjects. "This allowed pupils to access textbooks on various subjects," he says.

The library was opened by the then Culture and Social Services Minister Noah Katana Ngala in 1999. "People carrying books in sacks and on boda boda went to different schools delivering books. This later changed to donkeys and cart mobile libraries. Today, youth run the programme," says the quantity surveyor.

Rolled out

Amazed at the success of the project, Hongo rolled out the programme to the rest of the country with eight libraries in Eastern province, nine in Rift Valley, four at the Coast, one in Western, eight in North Eastern, two in central and four in Nyanza provinces. Nairobi has one in Kibera under construction.

Today over 3,000 schools have received donations of books from Dero, a Luo word for granary.

The organisation donates books to kindergarten, secondary schools, colleges, village polytechnics, community and libraries.

The initiative has come a long way from the time it was launched at Kanyichudo Primary School in Rarieda District.

"Together with the school committee, we mobilised resources for infrastructure development, teacher motivation, bought books and past test papers and provided lunch for the teachers," he says.

As a result there was a great improvement in the schools infrastructure such as classrooms, teachers were well motivated, and pupils’ performance improved. "We witnessed an influx of parents and pupils interested in joining the school, thanks to Dero initiative," says Hongo.

Though the organisation has been a granary of knowledge for students and wananchi not everyone has welcomed him with open hands. Some have read sinister motives in his philanthropy. In 1997 Hong was sent away by machete wielding youth from Kanyichudo Primary School over what he calls "political interference." And that was the last time the region ever celebrated good academic performance in the national examination. "I blame parents, teachers, and students. My rating for the Ministry of Education is zero," he says. "With the introduction of free primary education parents have left all the burden to the Government and that is where the rain started beating us," he says.

Hongo has yet again embarked on a programme to improve the academic results in the province. He is a wooing sponsor in the US to support the Adopt-a-School Programme.