News

A mighty tree has fallen in Africa, and we at Books For Africa join the rest of the world in remembering Nelson Mandela and his tireless work toward peace and toward justice. Mandela believed in the power of education, and knew that a good education can change a life and change the world.

On November 23, Books For Africa Executive Director Patrick Plonski presented research at the 56th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association on a topic that comes up often at BFA: “Why are more African countries adopting English as an official language?”

At the Barbara Kirker Second Chance School in Maine-Soroa, Niger, students who enroll in school late get another shot at getting an education. After receiving books from Books For Africa through Medshare, these students now have plenty of reading materials to help them catch up to their peers who were able to start school at a younger age.

As Books For Africa was celebrating 25 years of work towards ending the book famine in Africa, tragedy struck half way around the world. On September 21, 2013, jihadists stormed Nairobi’s upscale shopping center, the Westgate Mall, firing indiscriminately. This violence struck home with all Books For Africa supporters. We support our cause in hopes of creating a more peaceful future for people across the African continent through education. Especially for supporters who are members of the African diaspora, this act of violence highlights the importance of initiatives to create peace. Photo credit: Thomson Reuters

On September 20, 2013, Books For Africa celebrated 29 million books and 25 years at the BFA 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Gala. We hosted a big event to celebrate all of the people and projects that have helped us in our mission to end the book famine in Africa. The following day, we hosted the annual Books For Africa Warehouse Party/Braii at our new St. Paul warehouse. With so many folks in town for the anniversary, the Warehouse Party was a great success! Cover Photo Credit: Loren Swanson