NBA Legend Dikembe Mutombo joins BFA for Voices for Literacy Day

On October 13, 2012, Books For Africa celebrated Voices For Literacy Day at our Atlanta warehouse. We were joined by special guest, NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo. Mutombo is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He spoke about the difference that education is making in the lives of people in his home country, the DRC, and all across Africa.

“I would like to commend Books For Africa for putting books in the hands of African children, which will improve their quality of life for a lifetime,” Mutombo declared. 

Mutombo highlighted the how important it is to expand access to education in Africa, “Each day one in three children in Africa cannot afford to go to school and 70% of those out of school are girls. From antiquity to this day, women have shown that they are brilliant and formidable leaders.  However, the literacy rate of women particularly in developing countries continues to lag behind the literacy rate of men... The education of girls is paramount in the fight against poverty, infant, child and maternal mortality and national under-development.”

BFA helps expand educational access in Africa by providing donated educational materials. Our donations reduce the costs of running a school, which can reduce school fees for students and make education more affordable for students across the continent.

In addition to Mutombo’s remarks-read his full remarks here-guests also enjoyed live African drumming, African food, a storyteller, and warehouse tours. Thank you to our event sponsor, Uline.

To volunteer at the Atlanta warehouse, email Alfreda@booksforafrica.org