France, Jan. 31 -- Every afternoon at four o'clock, Joseph Otieno unlocks a dented metal door at the edge of Kibera, Nairobi.The sign above the door reads "Community Library" - painted by hand and fading.

Inside, there is no electricity, no computers, and no matching chairs. Three uneven shelves hold fewer than 200 books, their spines softened by years of use. Still, the children begin arriving before Joseph finishes sweeping the floor, quietly lining up with exercise books pressed to their chests.

Joseph is not a teacher, or a trained librarian. For most of his working life, the 62-year-old was a railway clerk, checking cargo manifests and recording arrivals. When the railways downsized, he retired early and returned to Kibera. "This p...