At KEY Libraries, we believe every learner has potential — and sometimes, all it takes is the right environment to unlock it.
Take the story of one student at Chepsigot Secondary School. He was quiet, often overlooked in class, and struggled to keep up. Reading was a challenge. Struggling with self-esteem and Confidence. His teachers knew he was capable, but traditional lessons weren’t the best approach. That’s when the school principal, Mr. Kirui, stepped in.
Instead of leaving him behind, Mr. Kirui did something simple but powerful. He explains:
I started working with the student daily in the school library. It wasn’t about pressure or punishment. It was about support. I introduced the boy to children’s reading resources such as short stories, earlier readers, picture books with simple vocabulary. These weren’t materials most high schoolers would pick up, but they were exactly what this student needed. The student found his footing. He started reading out loud. He asked questions. He picked up more books on his own. Day by day, his reading improved. Slowly, he moved from children’s readers to books suited for his grade level. For the first time, he wasn’t afraid of the text in books, rather he was confidently engaging with it.
This transformation didn’t happen in a classroom. It happened in our Chepsigot Secondary School library, a quiet space where learning happens at the student’s pace. A place with the right books, the right guidance, and no judgment.
This is the kind of impact KEY strives for. Libraries aren’t just rooms with books. They’re engines for change. For school libraries like Chepsigot Secondary, they are tools for equity, where every student, regardless of where they start, gets a chance to grow.
Chepsigot Secondary’s story is a reminder: libraries aren’t extras. They’re essential. They offer the chance for educators like Mr. Kirui to meet learners where they are.