Changing Lives, Book by Book. Work together with AYLUS!
In Spring 2023, the Greater Princeton Branch of AYLUS (GPA) continued its project to build a Community Library in Africa by collecting up to 1000 gently used children’s books (preschool to 8th grade reading level books) and $650 (to cover the domestic and international shipping cost, all the way to Malawi, Africa).
Our partner’s website: https://www.africanlibraryproject.org/
The African Library Project was founded in 2005 by Chris Bradshaw and her family from Portola Valley, California. While visiting remote villages in Lesotho, a small mountainous kingdom in Southern Africa, Chris was inspired to work toward ending the cycle of poverty and illiteracy when she found out that there was only one public library in the country. She realized the simple act of establishing libraries within schools would have a profound effect on communities as a whole.
Our Mission: The African Library Project changes lives book by book, together with partners in Africa and North American volunteers, to create, improve, and sustain libraries in African communities.
Our Vision: expand opportunities by creating spaces that nurture literacy.
Why Organize a Book Drive with the African Library Project?
Too many children on the African continent grow up without books, while bookshelves and landfills elsewhere overflow with books no longer read.
In many of the communities we serve, young people have little to no access to reading materials beyond textbooks (when provided).
We serve Anglophone countries where students are tested in English for standardized exams that are required for advancement. However, these students lack books to support their reading development.
Reading fosters critical thinking skills and creativity.
Teachers in many rural areas may teach reading, writing, math and English without a single book to use as a resource.
We are proud to partner with capable and hardworking organizations and individuals who are dedicated to promoting literacy and library development in Africa. In the United States, volunteers organize book drives and raise funds to ship the books overseas. Once those books are gathered and mailed, the African Library Project relies on a network of dedicated partners within Africa to get them to each community–no matter how far. In addition to selecting and vetting each library recipient, our trusted partners provide training on how to set up and run a library in a rural community. They also follow up to evaluate the use of our libraries and encourage good library practices. The African Library Project’s goal is to make sure our libraries remain active and continue to enrich those who need them the most.
GPA members Claire Tang and Emma Liu are leading this African Library Project. Book drives and fundraisers are being organized, both among GPA members and at schools. In total, they packed up 1040 books that are appropriate for African children to read into 11 boxes for shipping in February 2023.
AYLUS volunteers: Claire Tang (2/24, 3 hrs), Emma Liu (2/24, 3 hrs), and more.
