After waiting an entire year, children within the Edward Piece community are happy at signs that the library promised for them will soon be a reality.

Excited residents repair floor of library.

Soon they do not have to walk miles to read books anymore as work has begun to establish the library for them. Looking forward to focusing on total repair and rennovation as a Labour Day project, residents spurred on by recent efforts of others, led by the OAaSIS International Foundation joined hands to begin needed work. Only recently they begun repairs to the floor, and as a 2011 Labour Day project, other areas such as the ceiling are to be fixed, once materials come in.
The library concept became real last year following a successful workshop held at the Sargeantville Methodist Church, when OAaSIS Foundation team members committed to building a library on location to further serve the community.

Almost immediately church leaders pledged the adjoining building owned by the church.

In response to a call for books, Diaspora head Patrick Beckford started collecting from donators in the USA. Two weeks ago those books finally arrived at the Kingston Wharf. The hotel Idle-A-While in Negril gave a check valued at J$15,000 towards shipping expenses and transport of the books to the location.

Following repairs to the pledged building, recently weather damaged, starting with the floor. Berger Paints stands by to donate paints needed to transform the surface of the building. Marvette Camille Facey-Dobbs recently completing her masters in International Relations at the University of the West Indies, Mona, is the latest volunteer to the OAaSIS team. She signs on just in time to assist with garnering financial sponsorship of this and other projects. Among the needs list are computers and filing cabinets.

It is also hoped that internet access and telephone lines will be run in the area, so that both children and the youth aged up to 25 years can access modern technology as a means of developing themselves.

Volunteer Calvin Beckford pulls up damaged flooring of Library for work planned for Labour Day 2011.

Foundation head Anthea McGibbon says she hopes more persons will come aboard, and see first hand how fellow Jamaicans live, and assist them with their desire to be better informed, better educated simply by assisting with this project.

Over 10,000 residents, mostly the youth will benefit from the library, which is the most immediate project of the Foundation members pausing from the slate of creative workshop series.

The foundation is headquarted at Gallery Barrington and operates to empower the creative mind of today’s youth. More on the entity can be accessed at www.oaasisinternational.org.

APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE FURTHER:

The combined team seeks assistance with material and hands on assistance for the library.

MATERIALS NEEDED INCLUDE:

zinc sheets, cement, boards, boards for shelves(see below), nails
computer, chairs, desk

SERVICES NEEDED include:

assistance with categorising books

labour to refurbish part of building recently damaged,

labour for painting with Berger paints,

refreshments for work projects and opening

transport

FUNDS NEEDED:

The team members seek funds to acquire a stamp or stickers to label books

The team members have a carpenter willing to build the shelves at a nominal charge, so we seek funds

The team members seek funds to clear the books

The team members seek funds for refreshments

etc

All contributions to the overall