AJB Foundation
2000+ books
The project
What we are building here
Vitale H.G.M. is a boarding school in Kathonzweni, Makueni County, teaching 593 learners across Grades 1 to 9.
It has never had a library. Neither, according to the school's own management, has any school at this level anywhere in the county — Kathonzweni HGM, which Books & Beyond finished in 2026, is the first.
The school has offered a room. It is not large and it needs work, but the head of institution was clear that they would rather start with what they have than wait for something better.
Project at a glance
593
Learners at the school
—
Books donated
Being counted
Kathonzweni
Makueni County, Kenya
Phase 2
Delivery phase
The journey
The Vitale H.G.M. Mixed Day & Boarding Comprehensive School journey
Every project moves through the same seven steps. Here is where this one has got to.
- The school asked — done
- We worked out what was needed — done
- Raising the money — done
- Collecting the books — done
- Building the library — done
- The doors opened — in progress
- Handed over to the school — still to come
Where we are now — The doors opened
The library is open and books are moving.
What happened, and when
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Date not recorded
The school asked
- A visit to Vitale H.G.M., and a room offered Books & Beyond came from Nairobi to see the school, having just finished at Kathonzweni HGM. 593 learners, Grades 1 to 9, no library. The school offered a room before anyone asked for one.
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Date not recorded
We worked out what was needed
- One room, small but available, and a list of repairs The room was built years ago and needed work before it could serve as a library. It is not large. The school's position was that they would start with it and expand later rather than wait.
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Date not recorded
Raising the money
- Funded with partner support Vitale's library is being built in partnership with the AJB Foundation. The school's own management named them when thanking Books & Beyond, and one of the learners thanked them directly too.
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Date not recorded
Collecting the books
- ~1,400 books pledged by supporters in the UK Supporters in the United Kingdom donated around 1,400 reading books. They will be divided between Vitale and one further school once they arrive in Kenya.
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Date not recorded
Building the library
- Room renovated and made ready The room has been repaired and prepared. Shelving, furniture and stock follow.
What changed
The Transformation
Drag the handle to see the same room before and after.
The before photo is not up yet
The after photo is not up yet
While it was being built
Most of this work was done by people who live nearby.
Where it stands now
The room is renovated and ready. What it does not yet have is books. Around 1,400 reading books, donated by supporters in the United Kingdom, are on their way. When they land they will be split between Vitale and one further school. Until then the shelves are waiting.
Kenya's curriculum
What the library means for learners here
Vitale teaches to Grade 9, which is the year every learner in Kenya chooses a senior school pathway — STEM, Social Sciences, or Arts & Sports Science.
That decision is made here, in this building, by children who currently have no reference books to make it with. As the school's head of institution puts it, a library is where learners "explore the careers which are available". At Vitale that is not an abstraction. It is a choice a Grade 9 class makes this year.
Pathways this library supports:
🔬 STEM
🎨 Arts & Sports
How CBC shapes every library we build
Photos & Videos
Photos from this school
Classroom, learners, the library space, the work in progress. Upload them in the admin under this school’s photos.
A short video
A walkthrough or a launch clip.
More photos
The gallery grows as items are added.
Who helped here
This library exists because these people said yes.