A community library where reading, creativity, and belonging become daily practice.
Creative Learning Haven is HoRiSS’s community library and resource center in Imvepi Refugee Settlement, designed to provide academic resources, encourage reading, promote creative thinking, and create a safe learning space for children, youth, women, and families.
Context
Why this work matters.
Access to safe and resourceful learning environments remains a major challenge for children, women, and youth in refugee and host communities in Imvepi Refugee Settlement.
Schools are overcrowded and under-resourced, leaving limited room for learners to access books, explore creativity, or develop literacy beyond the classroom.
CLH acts as an additional learning space where visitors become family: students, out-of-school youth, young children, mothers, fathers, and volunteers.
Objectives
- •Improve literacy skills among women and children through tailored literacy programs.
- •Provide academic resources, reading access, and book borrowing for community members.
- •Empower young people with media, storytelling, and creative expression skills.
- •Create a space where volunteers and community members can share practical skills.
Core Activities
- •Daily book reading and borrowing
- •Literacy classes for Primary 3 and Primary 4 learners
- •Women literacy sessions
- •Digital storytelling and youth media training
- •Mobile library activities
- •Drawing, painting, and creative writing classes
Beneficiaries
Children, students, out-of-school youth, women, mothers, fathers, and host/refugee community members around Tank 65, Village 6, Zone 2, Imvepi Refugee Settlement.
Outcomes & Sustainability
Built for visible impact and local ownership.
- More than 750 visitors came to Creative Learning Haven in a recent three-month period for reading and creative activities.
- Community members gain access to books, literacy support, creative activities, and skill-sharing opportunities.
- Children and youth have a safe place to read, create, document community life, and imagine solutions to local challenges.
CLH is designed as a community-rooted space: local volunteers, skill-sharing, book access, literacy activities, and partner support combine to keep the library useful beyond a single project cycle.
Previous project
Relief and Livelihood
HoRiSS offers food, non-food assistance, and livelihood support to extremely poor families, widows, and single mothers to foster sustainability and resilience.
Next project
Hope Discipleship and Education Project
HoDEP supports vulnerable refugee and host-community learners through school fees, scholastic materials, mentorship, Christian discipleship, and environmental stewardship.
Partner Opportunity