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It was 30 years ago that Minnesota-based world traveler Tom Warth, shocked by what he called a book famine in Africa, shipped several mailbags of used books out of a church basement to libraries and schools there. That modest gesture grew into St. Paul-based Books For Africa, one of the state’s best-known international charities that has become the world’s largest supplier of donated books to Africa.

The annual reception honoring Books For Africa’s Kilimanjaro Society donors was held July 27 at the University Club of St. Paul. It was also attended by 25 young African leaders in residency at the Humphrey Institute of the University of Minnesota and featured a poolside concert with local reggae band Ipso Facto! 

Twenty-five young African leaders commemorated Nelson Mandela International Day on Tuesday by volunteering at the Books For Africa warehouse in St. Paul.  On the day, named for the late South African leader and dedicated to service in his honor, they sorted and packed books for the organization and got a briefing on its mission to end the book famine in Africa. Books For Africa has shipped more than 38 million books to 49 countries since its founding in 1988.

25 fellows with the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which is run by the U.S. State Department, observed Mandela Day by converging at the Saint Paul warehouse of Books For Africa to sort and pack books that are bound for Africa. The State Department runs the fellowship through the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) which this year has brought 1,000 promising African leaders for six-week long residencies at universities across the country. This was one of former president Barack Obama’s signature initiatives targeting the African continent.