For almost five weeks Libby Weir has been in Africa building books. The Jasper resident is volunteering her time in Rwanda, helping equip rural teachers with course materials and giving them the skills to become better teachers.
She’s in Rwanda supporting Tools for Schools, a program started in 2009 by Jasperites Neil and Jill Fenton, Weir’s in-laws. The Fentons have been working to improve education in Rwanda for more than a decade, and Tools for Schools is one of their most recent projects.
The program aims to help educate and equip rural teachers in Rwanda by teaching them how to use textbooks and improving their English. Tools for Schools also helps improve Rwandan schools’ infrastructure and equips them with teaching materials.
Weir is known in Jasper for her art, and in Rwanda she’s been using her creative touch to fashion books out of local materials.
In an email sent during a brief period of internet connectivity, Weir explained how she makes the books: she gathers left over scraps of fabric and old cardboard for the covers, and uses wire for the binding. She and the teachers fill the books with paper, and even make their own glue from a local root to hold it all together.
“The biggest challenge is finding scissors,” Weir joked, before explaining that overcoming the language barrier is often the most difficult part of the workshops.
“It’s just incredible what she’s capable of,” said friend and fellow Rotarian Wendy Wacko.
Weir’s husband, Greg Fenton, explained that the books she makes with the Rwandan teachers are learning tools that can be used in the classroom, and the act of making them is an opportunity for the teachers to improve their English.
He explained that Rwanda recently dropped French as one of its official languages, making English-language training that much more important, especially in rural areas where many people only speak French and the local dialect of Kinyarwanda.
Since English is the official language of Rwanda’s educational institutions, it’s vital that teachers are proficient in it. Fenton points out, however, that many teachers from rural areas struggle with the language, so an English immersion environment is incredibly beneficial.
Tools for Schools has held a number or training sessions over the past five weeks, and Weir said she has been astonished by the huge turnout. One session saw more than 100 teachers from surrounding rural areas turn up.
Weir, as well as the Fentons, are members of the Rotary Club of Jasper, a big financial contributor to Tools for Schools. According to Hugh Lecky, the club president, the program is “one of our driving forces. It’s just inspiring for everyone here in our club.”
Weir said she is proud to be part of that program because she sees how important it is for local teachers to have proper education and materials.
“The needs of the people in the country, the amazing friends I continue to make and the importance of the work that Jill and Neil are now doing in rural Rwanda” are what keep her coming back, she said.
Weir is scheduled to arrive home Dec. 24. That night, the Jasper Rotary Club is hosting a welcome home party and toast to the philanthropist at Mountain Galleries at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.
Wacko, the event organizer, said it’s open to anyone, and along with celebrating Weir’s return, the event will showcase a collection of her art.
Trevor Nichols
[email protected]
