Oasis Reading Rooms · At school
A room full of books
changes a school.
Many children finish primary school having read very few books beyond the ones they share in class. An Oasis Reading Room is a new room built at the school, with the Government textbooks for every class, storybooks in Kiswahili and English, a quiet place to read and a weekly reading club.
$20,000
A new Oasis Reading Room, built at a partner school and filled with around 800 books
Give $20,000Why it matters
What holds children back
- Textbooks are shared between many pupils.
- Few storybooks at home or at school.
- English becomes the language of secondary school, but many children have had little practice reading it.
What it pays for
- A new classroom-size room, built by local fundis
- Solar lighting, shelves, tables and benches
- Government textbooks for Standard 1 to 7, so pupils can borrow their own
- Storybooks and readers in Kiswahili and English, matched to each level
- Dictionaries and an atlas
- A lending register and a weekly reading club run by the teachers
The budget
What one reading room costs
Our estimate for building and filling one room, at Tanzanian prices. A contractor’s quote replaces it before we build.
| What | Quantity | USD |
|---|---|---|
| The building: one classroom-size room (about 8 × 12 m), with floor, walls, roof, ceiling, windows with burglar bars and doors | about TSh 32 million | $12,150 |
| Drawings, building permit and an engineer to supervise | $610 | |
| Solar power and lighting | $950 | |
| Shelves, tables and benches for about 40 readers, made by a local carpenter | $1,140 | |
| Government textbooks (TIE), sets for Standard 1–7 | 300 books | $1,080 |
| Storybooks and readers in Kiswahili and English, by level | 450 books | $1,370 |
| Kiswahili and English dictionaries and an atlas | 50 books | $570 |
| Lending register, labels and reading-club materials | $190 | |
| Replacement books and delivery through the first year | $390 | |
| Contingency for building price rises (about 10%) | $1,550 | |
| One new Oasis Reading Room | about 800 books | $20,000 |
How it works
Careful, local and recorded.
Built with approval
The room is designed and built with the school, with the building permit and approvals the district council requires, by local fundis under an engineer’s supervision.
Chosen with teachers
Teachers help choose the books, so they match each class and the national curriculum.
Tanzanian books first
We buy the Government textbooks and books by Tanzanian publishers and authors wherever we can.
Books go home
A simple lending register lets children take books home and bring them back.
What we look for
What success looks like
- A reading room open every school day
- Books borrowed every week
- A weekly reading club
Questions
Can we donate books?
Yes, ideally new books in Kiswahili or simple English, matched to the age groups. Please contact us first so we can tell you what each school needs.
Can a school or company fund part of a room?
Yes. Gifts of any size go towards the building or the books, and every donor receives proof of how their share was spent.
Can our school group help?
Visiting school groups can fundraise for a reading room and, with the school’s permission, join a supervised reading session during their trip.
The other programmes
At school and at home.
Oasis Scholars
Uniforms, shoes, books and a mentor, so a bright child stays in class.
Read more At schoolOasis Meals
A hot lunch every school day. Children who eat come to school, and learn.
Read more For every childOasis Health
A year of health insurance, so a sick child is taken to a clinic straight away.
Read more At homeOasis Homes
Beds, mattresses and food for the homes where our children live.
Read more
Together we can change lives.
A uniform, a hot meal, a health card, a book, a bed. Small things that change a child’s life.