I remember the 1st time i set foot on SDI Wolowona area. It was during one of those blistering days of September 2017 where Ende sky was at its bluest when me and Dewi (fellow project coordinator) entered the gate and greeted by pairs and pairs curious little eyes who were playing in the open field during recess. “Pagi Ibuuu!”,shouted some of them while others gave smiles warmer than the day as we walked through them heading for the faculty room where some teachers poked their heads out smiling & greeting as they saw us approaching. “What a friendly crowd.”, i thought as we climbed the steps to the corridor and got distracted by the lush pink flowered plant growing by its side, perfectly contrasted by the mountainous backdrop. Something about the mix of good-natured people, blue sky, and flowery yard got me feeling like i was on holiday instead of working that day.

Radiant. Everything about that 1st day in SDI Wolowona was radiant to me. The principal, Ibu Sisilia Ale seemed to be aware of this captivating effect as well. She pointed out early on that they would like their child-friendly library to resemble the same vibe. ”The more attractive the better, so we’re gonna go with red.” She said as we examined the then dark room in the left corner of the field. Sat in the room was a small bunch of 1st grader trying to decipher stories from their books one line at a time. Red was and still is the least opted color chosen by schools for their library. But it’s enticing & children love enticing stuff, so we went along with the bold decision although we weren’t so sure of the outcome either.

The story books arrived while the friendly & beyond children of Wolowona 2 were out on the field doing their gym class routine. They stopped immediately and came rushing to help us out insistently. Aren’t they the cutest?

 

As February 2018 drew closer, the dark room in the corner became brighter and number of children sightings around and inside the soon-to-be-library increased. The elaborate murals drawn simply made heads turn & called for standing applauses. The school community had transformed the room to a radiant reading corner for their 115 students. Filled with about a thousand story books stacked in its rainbow colored shelves, any kid would have a hard time resisting the urge to hang in the child-friendly library.

Ready-Go-Red Reading Room. “The brighter, the better.” claimed Ibu Sisi the principal. Although hesitant we were, we’re glad we agreed with her.
Preparing the faculty with library management skills & library activities knowledge was just as necessary as renovating the library. What better room to do this in then in the illuminated library room?

On February 13th 2018 right before the AM turned to PM, SDI Wolowona 2 had their radiant child-friendly library inaugurated by our founder her self, Nila Tanzil. Coming along with her was Ibu Fransiska Sare of Ende’s DoE, Bapak Martin the Head of Ende’s DoL, Bapak Pieter the Head of Rewarangga Village, East Ende UPT representative, and Bapak Jefri representative of Mautapaga subdistrict. Soon after the opening, the library was swarmed with children reading in every nook and corner. Thankfully, Ibu Fonza the librarian had a couple of 6th grade students helping her managing the little readers through out the day. While their children were busy getting lost in bookland, parents and other guests continued the celebration in the other room dancing Gawi warm-heartedly in their radiant Lawo Lambu attributes. Overall, the afternoon was a cordial opening for SDI Wolowona’s radiant reading garden.

The children of SDI Wolowona 2 all wrapped up in story-books, heads bowed down , imaginations flew up high up in the air.

J.J.