Bid to End Chronic Books Shortage in Schools, Colleges

Pupils yell inside a classroom in Kathwana, Tharaka-Nithi County, as they tackle a mid-morning maths assignment.  They aren’t fighting but scrambling over a shared text book. Stocks in the school library aren’t enough for a classroom set, and the commotion during lessons is almost normal.

Scarcity of books and other reading material remains a key concern for learning institutions in Kenya, despite systemic reforms over the years.

In the US, however, a non-profit organisation is scaling up efforts to address this crisis by mobilising individuals and groups to donate books to schools, colleges and universities. Books For Africa (BFA) ships donated text and library books to Kenya and 48 other countries.