News

Better World Books received Books For Africa’s first annual Kilimanjaro Society Award of Merit at the Kilimanjaro Society breakfast on October 3. Patrick Plonski, BFA Executive Director, said, “The tremendous support that Better World Books has provided in terms of increasing literacy across the African continent for millions of people is almost too much to calculate. Their support of Books For Africa has been in excess of $2 million since 2003 in cash and many millions of dollars worth of donated books.” Click on link above to read more...

At a VIP breakfast on Oct. 3 honoring Kilimanjaro Society members, Books For Africa was honored to welcome Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, whose visit was coordinated by Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison. President Ahmed remarked: “Books and knowledge are light, and ignorance is darkness. The problems inside Somalia are largely due to ignorance. Sending books to Africa can change people’s lives in profound ways.” Click on link above for more info...

At a VIP breakfast on Oct. 3 honoring Kilimanjaro Society members, Congresswoman McCollum made a surprise announcement that she has introduced House Resolution 3701, called “More Books For Africa,” which calls for a major appropriation to ship more books to Africa. Congressman Keith Ellison is a co-sponsor. Congresswoman McCollum remarked: "As a mother, I can’t think of anything more powerful than putting a book in the hand of my child. Books For Africa not only reinforces the importance of children learning, but help adults to fulfill their dream of living in a country full of hope and opportunity." Click on the link above for more info...

At a recent tour of the Better World Books warehouse outside of South Bend, Indiana, Books For Africa and Visions In Action staff discussed ongoing collaborative opportunities. Visions In Action is shipping seven containers of books to South Africa, Uganda, and Tanzania, with Books For Africa providing the books and Better World Books and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) providing funding. “Better World Books is our number one funder, our number one source for college textbooks, and our number one source of visibility on some 800 college campuses across North America,” Plonski noted. “Their support has been critical to our success, and it was great to tour their facilities and meet their staff.” Click on the link above to read more...

Join us in celebrating the importance of literacy in improving people’s lives across Africa. According to UNESCO, literacy remains an elusive target: some 776 million adults lack minimum literacy skills, which means that one in five adults is still not literate; 75 million children are out of school, and many more attend irregularly or drop out. Books For Africa believes in the power of literacy, and believes that books help people to acquire literacy skills and help themselves to improve their lives. Over the past 21 years, Books For Africa has engaged in literacy projects in 45 African countries. We have helped fill libraries with books, helped provide textbooks for schoolchildren, and helped university students to get the books they need to improve their educational opportunities. 50 cents sends a book to a child in Africa. Help out the children of Africa today in honor of International Literacy Day! Click on the link above for more info...

Soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army's 4-414th Civil Affairs Battalion delivered more than 1,000 books to two primary schools and a secondary school near Tanga, Tanzania, on August 24, 2009. The U.S. Embassy in Tanzania provided the books, which were donated by various entities including Books For Africa. According to U.S. Army Capt. Bernice Logan, it is common for a rural Tanzanian school of 1,300 children to have only 22 teachers, which equates to more than 59 students per classroom. "They are lucky if they get one book per classroom, and the teacher writes everything on the board and then they [students] copy that. Being able to provide these books allows the teacher the time to do more teaching instead of writing." Click on the link above for links to the full story and a slideshow.