Books for Africa Background
Rationale
It is common across the African continent to see five or six school children sharing one book. Empty library shelves are a constant reminder of Africa's desperate need for printed materials. With illiteracy rates as high as 74.8% in some African countries, we are accepting responsibility for our world community by bringing 35,000 new books to Kenya in autumn 2004.
Project Description
Books for Africa is a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization that seeks to "end the book famine" on the African continent. It receives book donations from publishers, schools, libraries, individuals and organizations, and they are collected, sorted, and shipped by Books for Africa to the African port where they will be picked up and distributed by volunteers.
Better World Books is a national program that does fundraising in the name of any non-profit organization in order that the shipped books can be received in Africa by that organization. The fundraising is done throughout the country in the form of book drives. Books are collected, sold online, and the proceeds are donated directly to Books for Africa. In this way we raised money to send 100,000 books to four countries, and volunteers to two to distribute these books to schools and libraries.
topVolunteer Distributors: Mona's Children
Diana Aycinena Physics major, pre-nursing at the University of Washington.
Anisa Ghadrshenas Finance and Public Policy major-pre-med track at the University of Washington.
Erica Johnson Chemistry and Spanish majors, pre-med at the University of Washington.
Sarah Kaufmann-Fink Int'l Health and Social Services, pre-nursing at the University of Washington.
Each of these initial volunteers helped to organize the first book trip, spread interest to new volunteers, helped organize another book drive in 2005 and sent a new set of volunteers to Africa to see the book famine for themselves. They continue to raise awareness of this issue and activism on its behalf on the University of Washington campus.
2004 Kenya Trip
March 2004: Winter book drive on UW Campus. Raised 2500 books.
April 2004: Organized future book drives and began targeted drives on campus.
May 2004: 5000+ books, received: 6,024, applied for visa, organized housing and food in Kenya.
June 2004: 10,000+ books and $3000, end of quarter book drive and letter-writing campaign, obtained vaccinations and immunizations.
July 2004: 10,000+ books and $5000, continuation of local book drives and charity feed event.
August 2004: $9,410.18. Made final arrangements.
September 2004: Arrived in Kenya.
September-October: Worked with Mombasa Port Authority, and local East African Center (EAC) employees/volunteers to finalize customs paperwork and costs of shipment. Paid customs fees to Mombasa Port Authority. Visited local Kenyan book recipient partners. Finalized agreement, evaluated space for books, and discussed book arrival date and organization. Finalized rental car contract.
October 2004: books arrive at Mombasa Port. Distribute books to final destinations: Vutakaka Community Center, Takaungu Secondary School, Mkwajuni Primary School, etc. via rented truck. Worked with book recipients to organize and shelve books and familiarize recipients with them.
The non-profit organization that "accepted" the books in Kenya is the East African Center www.eastafricancenter.org. It is a rural non-profit that accepted the books in Mombassa. The four volunteers, once in Kenya, were the representatives of the EAC when they picked up the shipment of books in October.
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