News

The Sierra Leone Book Trust (SALBOT) is a long time partner of Books For Africa. As a part of their most recent shipment of BFA books, SALBOT donated about 4,000 books to the U.S. Peace Corps in Sierra Leone to be distributed to schools throughout the country. This is the second time that SALBOT has worked with Peace Corps – Sierra Leone, having donated 5,000 books in 2012.

Books For Africa and Little Free Library, two area nonprofits, have formed a unique partnership to raise money to send more than 2,000 “Little Free Libraries” to Africa over the next several years. The two groups will ask local organizations, businesses, schools and individuals to raise the $1,000 needed to design, build and ship a unique one of a kind Little Free Library and books valued at $1,000. The sponsor will receive a Taking Stock Certificate stating they funded a library and its contents in Africa and a sponsor recognition sign will be located on the Library itself.

These books were sent to schools throughout The Gambia. The Better Community Association, who organized the shipment, used the boxes that the books were shipped in as shelves to display all 22,000 books so that teachers, school officials, and community members could hand pick the books to put in their libraries.

A study conducted in Ethiopia found that a large percentage of children are illiterate in English even though it is a required school subject for all Ethiopian students. This is largely because students lack access to English reading materials both at school and at home. The Early Grade Reading Centers project was created by a group of U.S. Peace Corp volunteers based in Ethiopia to bring English books to students.

Through Project Handclasp, the U.S. Navy works with NGOs like Books For Africa to deliver relief supplies worldwide. Ten pallets of books from BFA were delivered by the U.S. Navy to students who need them to advance their study of English.

Founder of BFA Tom Warth, BFA board member Mike Essien, and former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Derek Jeter visited Nigeria to see the great work being done there by the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) this October. Tom and Mike visited Sir Offor, the founder and namesake of the Foundation, to participate in a special event to celebrate the receipt of the most recent shipment of 16 containers of books to Nigeria.