Withnise, one of our graduates and full time staff, is director of our Book program. She is responsible for hiring and training staff for the textbook program, maintaining inventory, and purchasing any and all needed textbooks. She also purchases any supplies needed to repair the texts, then sets up workstations for the staff. It’s quite a production line, and the part time staff are happy to have a part time job to help support their families.

After staff register students, schools provide book lists and uniform material samples they will need to attend classes that fall. As the textbook lists come into our office, Starthrower’s book repair team under the direction of Withnise, begins to assemble the necessary texts, and to compile lists of books that we do not already have.  Each day, the staff, under Withnise’s direction,  will go to the market, look through the book stalls and let the vendors know which titles we need and purchase them. Once the books are available, the team numbers them and adds the book into the inventory ledger. The books are then covered with heavy plastic for protection and placed in a pile. Designated locations for each student are set up around the room and the supplies (pens, pencils, notebooks, hygiene products, toothpaste, toothbrush, bar of soap, facecloth), for each student are placed in the corresponding area. The books are then all labeled and added to the backpack provided. Students then come in to pick up their backpack and the list is reviewed and confirmed again.

A ledger is maintained with the information about the student and the supplies received. The student signs for funds received for uniforms, shoes and their backpack. 

When the student returns at the end of the school year, the returned items are checked off and returned to inventory. Then the cycle repeats.