Borrowing to open a free library
At nearly 2 p.m., Hoang Quang Khai (born in 1996, residing in Lac Dao commune, Van Lam district, Hung Yen province) went to his small library, opened the door, turned on the air conditioner, neatly arranged the tables, chairs and books to welcome the children in the village. For the past 6 years, this has been the familiar job of the 9X guy every weekend.
Quang Khai used his own money to build a free library
Quang Khai’s 18m2 library is meticulously decorated with colorful books and many lovely accessories. Coming here, readers can easily find a quiet space to focus on each page of the book – something Quang Khai aimed for right from the moment he conceived this meaningful project.
The Hung Yen boy admitted that he is not a "bookworm" but always has a desire to spread reading culture to local people.
After finishing 12th grade, Khai worked as a worker for a company in Pho Noi A Industrial Park, Hung Yen. After 4 years of working, in addition to the monthly money sent to his parents, Khai saved some money for himself.
The library is neatly arranged and clean.
Unable to wait any longer, he decided to fulfill his dream of building a free library for the village.
“My parents strongly objected, thinking that I was meddling in other people’s business. In return, my grandmother supported me and lent me the attic of the small house in Doan Khe village to build a library. That was all I needed at that time,” Khai said.
However, the money Khai saved was not enough. He had to borrow more and use his monthly salary to pay it back. Some months, Khai used up all his salary to pay off the debt, had to borrow from here and there to make ends meet.
Like a bird making a nest, Khai built the small library little by little. He carried sand and cement from the first floor to the second floor to build, then bought each piece of wood himself and assembled it into bookshelves.
Khai remembers the difficult early days of building the library.
He did not forget to buy more lovely accessories such as vases, ceiling lights, carpets, etc. to create a relaxing and peaceful feeling for the library.
The reading room was almost finished, so Khai went out to buy books. He prioritized literature books, skill books, psychology books, etc. and bought them on sale.
In June 2019, Khai's library was officially completed. The Hung Yen boy's dream of spreading knowledge through books has come true.
6 years still being called... crazy
Two years ago, Khai's attic reading room showed signs of water seepage. Feeling sorry for the books and wooden shelves, he decided to move the reading room from the second floor to the first floor, despite the difficulty and hardship of the move.
Every weekend, Khai spends all his time in the library.
Khai designed a new reading room, painted the walls, tiled the floor, and then moved books and wooden shelves from the second floor down. This time, his library had a modern feel and the books were more diverse thanks to support from a number of organizations.
For the past 6 years, Khai has considered the library his second home. During the day, Khai goes to work and in the afternoon, he opens the library for people to come and read and borrow books. On weekends, Khai opens the library all day, ready to serve readers at any time.
“When the library first opened, there were a lot of people coming, especially students. Recently, I see that fewer people come to read and borrow books, but I am not discouraged,” Khai said.
A few years ago, Khai saved up money to buy an air conditioner to install in the library to ensure a cool, airy space for everyone visiting in the summer.
Because of his passion for the free library, over the past 6 years, Khai has heard some people call him a “busybody”. However, Khai doesn’t mind. As long as he can do something useful for the community, he is satisfied.
Currently, Khai has quit his job in the industrial park, switched to being a yoga teacher and participating in local youth work. No matter how busy he is, Khai still tries to maintain and operate the library, because he believes that this place will bring many useful things to everyone.
Talking to VietNamNet reporter, Mr. Nguyen Tien Huan - Vice Chairman of Lac Dao commune (Van Lam district, Hung Yen province) said that Mr. Hoang Quang Khai (Doan Khe village) is an exemplary citizen, currently participating in the youth union work in the village.
“The act of using his own money to establish a free library for the locality was highly appreciated by the commune government. Mr. Khai’s story has spread the beauty of reading culture to many people,” said Mr. Huan.
Vietnamnet.vn
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chang-trai-bo-tien-tui-xay-thu-vien-mien-phi-6-nam-van-bi-goi-la-ke-dien-2334421.html
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