The News Archive section contains news items which have appeared on the Books For Africa home page. The most recent items are at the top and the rest follow in reverse chronological order, with the oldest item at the bottom.
Books For Africa partners with Driver Middle School in New York and Showers Educational Support Services in Nigeria.
These Books For Africa books were sent by the support from both the Showers Educational Support Services and Driver Middle School students. Driver Middle School students studied Africa and decided to have a book drive and donate the funds from a production of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to a shipment to Showers Educational Support Services in Nigeria. The students were able to raise $2,500 towards the shipping costs to help defray one-third of the shipping expenses. Thank you to all the supporters of this shipment.
Posted February 22, 2008 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa Board Members Henry Bromelkamp and Xavier Helgeson and Books For Africa Kilimanjaro Society Member Barb Ryan visit Mafunda High School in South Africa.
These Books For Africa representatives performed a site visit on a book recipient school in South Africa. Barb, Xavier, and Henry were able to receive in-depth feedback from the recipients on the quality and subject matter of the books. Click to view, Thembalixizwe Primary School Library in South Africa video (YouTube).
Posted January 18, 2008 • Permanent Link
This is Books For Africa's first shipment to Algeria, and the shipping was completely funded by the newly established Better World Books Fund for Books For Africa.
“I speak for all of my students at Es-Senia University Department of English when I say we are thrilled and thankful to have received in our storehouse the 688 boxes of books from you today. More than 50 of us helped to unload the truck, take pictures, and otherwise celebrate the long awaited arrival of your generous donation. After finding a safe storage room to temporarily put the books before dispatching them to the different university libraries the English club members helped me give a reception for the university workers and all the students who helped in the day's work.
Algerians and especially the youth want so much to open up to the world, to learn languages, to visit and share ideas and to have visitors from other countries come also to visit this beautiful country so varied in culture and landscape. Thank you again for trusting us with this wonderful gift of support in learning the English language and enlarging our knowledge of American culture. We will continue to send pictures, newspaper articles and e-mails to keep you up to date with our future activities.
Best regards, Martha Schouten and English students, ELF Es-Senia, Oran Algeria”
Posted December 12, 2007 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa is proud to receive feedback from our first-ever shipment to Benin sent in June 2007. Thomson West, Ron Aminzade, and Books For Africa sponsored this initiative in Benin. The shipment furnished primary and secondary schools with much needed text and library books and provided a computer lab and books for a university library. For more information on this project Click here.
Posted November 30, 2007 • Permanent Link
Courtney Smith, a college student living in Minnesota, forwarded this photo from Image, Tanzania where a Books For Africa container was received and distributed in 2005. Courtney worked in partnership with her high school friend —Kara Apland — friends, family, local churches, and a variety of supporters to raise the money to ship this container to Tanzania. Thanks Courtney and friends for your good work here in getting the job done!
Posted November 12, 2007 • Permanent Link
Our partnering recipients in the Maguliwa Area Secondary School, Tanzania unpack books from a 40-foot container that arrived recently. These books will serve primary and secondary students in the Iringa, Tanzania area.
Posted October 2, 2007 • Permanent Link
Peace Corps Volunteers in Uganda distribute a container. Peace Corps Volunteers Tim and Anne Reneau-Major worked tirelessly to fundraise to send a container to western Uganda. Tim and Anne with others held a workshop for the schools receiving books. Tim and Anne's work reached 26 schools and one orphan community center, that have 16,553 students attending them. Tim stated that, "This project enabled the children of Kabarole District in Uganda to better prepare for their future and all the possibilities this world can hold for them."
Posted August 28, 2007 • Permanent Link
Liberia Consul General: Books Will Change The Lives of Many Liberians
From the Mshale website:
"Liberia’s
Consul General, the Honorable Alexander P. Gbayee, was in St. Paul yesterday,
as a guest speaker at an annual fundraising luncheon for Books for Africa (BFA). Since its
inception, almost twenty years ago, BFA has grown to become the largest shipper of donated
books to Africa.
"At a time when Liberia is recovering from the effects of a long civil war that has striped the country of all its physical resources, the role of BFA in providing books for this generation of Liberians cannot be more pivotal."
Click here to read the article...
Posted May 14, 2007 • Permanent Link
Our partnering recipients in the Maguliwa Area Secondary School, Tanzania unpack books from a 40-foot container that arrived recently. These books will serve primary and secondary students in the Iringa, Tanzania area.
Posted October 2, 2007 • Permanent Link
Peace Corps Volunteers in Uganda distribute a container. Peace Corps Volunteers Tim and Anne Reneau-Major worked tirelessly to fundraise to send a container to western Uganda. Tim and Anne with others held a workshop for the schools receiving books. Tim and Anne's work reached 26 schools and one orphan community center, that have 16,553 students attending them. Tim stated that, "This project enabled the children of Kabarole District in Uganda to better prepare for their future and all the possibilities this world can hold for them."
Posted August 28, 2007 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa, in partnership with the Africa Education Initiative of USAID, recently delivered a 40-foot container of textbooks which were distributed to schools in Durban and Johannesburg. Photos of the books being received and a message from South African partners are provided:
"We are very excited as we see God bring to pass the things we have desired of him. The ship carrying the books docked on the 18th June 2007 at Durban harbor and the books cleared on the 21st June 2007 at about 12:00 p.m. We accompanied the container to the warehouse and the container was opened in our presence. We were with Angelina and some of the teachers from her school. The col. Habebe assist to see that no import duty or VAT was paid. The books were divided to the three recipients, with us at Elohim Ministries receiving 9 pallets. The books were forwarded to us in Johannesburg arriving Monday the 25th June 2007 at about 3pm and we stored them. The public service including teachers have been striking the last one month thus hiding our effort to identify more schools but we have several that are excited and after the strike we will embark in distributing half the books. The other half will be distributed together with your team of 12 missionaries in September 2007."
Posted July 20, 2007 • Permanent Link
Liberia Consul General: Books Will Change The Lives of Many Liberians
From the Mshale website:
"Liberia’s Consul General,
the Honorable Alexander P. Gbayee, was in St. Paul yesterday,
as a guest speaker at an annual fundraising luncheon for Books for Africa (BFA). Since its
inception, almost twenty years ago, BFA has grown to become the largest shipper of donated
books to Africa.
"At a time when Liberia is recovering from the effects of a long civil war that has striped the country of all its physical resources, the role of BFA in providing books for this generation of Liberians cannot be more pivotal."
Click here to read the article...
Posted May 14, 2007 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa partnered with Better World Books to secure a container of books shipped to Sudan in collaboration with the Sudan-American Foundation for Education. This container was received in Sudan in November of 2005. Pictured above are girls selecting children’s books at a special book exhibition held by the Ahfad University for Women in Omdurman, Sudan. Ahfad University for Women works in close collaboration with the Sudan-American Foundation for Education and organizes book exhibitions where representatives of schools and universities can select books to add to their libraries. Books For Africa is proud to work with organizations such as the Sudan-American Foundation For Education, Ahfad University for Women, and Better World Books.
Posted March 9, 2007 • Permanent Link
Remote rural Zambian school receives books.
Students at Chifunabuli Basic School moving books off a truck to the new library.
Students in Lubwe, Zambia right after receiving a container of books.
“We joyfully wish to acknowledge receipt of books donated to the Lubwe community. The surrounding schools and the community at large wish to sincerely thank you severally and individually for the kind gesture of donating books to us. We humbly ask for continued cooperation as this kind of help will improve literacy levels in our community.”
—Chipili Bornwel and Bunda Otties, Chifunabuli Basic School, Sammfya. Recipient of a Books For Africa shipment sponsored by Dayton University and Dayton University Students.
Posted February 9, 2007 • Permanent Link
Container to provide books and computer labs in Ghana.
A formal ceremony upon receipt of a shipment of computers and books from Books For Africa to the University of Ghana.
“Thank you all for the tremendous efforts to get the shipped consignments for the benefit of students and people of Ghana. Once again thanks Books for Africa, thanks Quantum Connections for making it all possible. We look forward to further collaboration in assisting schools and communities in Ghana.”
—Elizabeth Ardayfio-Schandorf, professor at the University of Ghana. Recipient of a Books For Africa shipment sponsored by Carolyn Ladd and Quantum Connections.
Posted February 9, 2007 • Permanent Link
Education Receives Fresh Batch of Books. About 25,000 math, financial, medical, business studies and other categories of books were donated to the Angolan Ministry of Education by ESSO Angola, in partnership with TAAG (National Airlines). The donation was made possible by the nonprofit US organization Books For Africa. The books were delivered to Angola on board of five TAAG airplanes sent from the United States.
Speaking on behalf of Ministry of Education, the National Director for Education, Luisa Grilo, commented that the books are a valuable contribution to the Angolan Education System. ESSO Angola Director General, Terry S. McPhail, was satisfied with the partnership and said that it is a company tradition to support education and aid the development of Angolan students. TAAG Human Resources Manager, Estevao Costa, affirmed that the act demonstrates interest in the academic improvement of local students.
Posted December 29, 2006 • Permanent Link
Schools received books distributed by BFA through The Friends For Life NGO based in Accra, Ghana in the fall of 2006.
Posted November 28, 2006 • Permanent Link
Students in the Nakuru region of Kenya show off some books recently donated to their school by BFA.
Posted November 20, 2006 • Permanent Link
Pictured above in front of books earmarked for delivery to Hanga Abbey, Tanzania are Tanzanian Ambassador to the U.S. Andrew Daraja; Father Robert Koopman of St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville; and Tanzanian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr. Cyril August Chami. The group participated in the grand opening of Books For Africa's new warehouse on September 27, 2006.
Ruth Knoll, Secretary for the Andrah Foundation, visits with Dr. Cyril August Chami, Tanzanian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Father Robert Koopman of St. John’s Abbey, in front of a container of textbooks bound for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This container was shipped to Tanzania as part of Books For Africa's grand opening of its new warehouse on September 27, 2006.
On September 27, 2006 as part of BFA grand opening activities for the new warehouse facilities, BFA announced a new partnership with the USAID African Education Initiative to ship 16 40-foot containers of textbooks to seven African countries. The first container was shipped on September 27th to Tumaini University in Iringa, Tanzania. Pictured above are BFA officials and Tanzanian Ambassador to the U.S. Andrew Daraja; and Tanzanian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr. Cyril August Chami. “Books For Africa is honored to host this Tanzanian delegation in Minnesota in conjunction with the grand opening of our newest warehouse facility and this announcement of a new partnership with USAID’s African Education Initiative,” said Books For Africa Executive Director Patrick Plonski.
Posted October 4, 2006 • Permanent Link
David Murphy (CEO of Better World Books and BFA Ambassadors Circle Member) and Pat Plonski (Executive Director of Books For Africa) were on hand in Tanzania for a special ceremony with U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Michael Retzer and USAID Tanzania on July 14, 2006. The ceremony formally handed over one 40-foot container of textbooks to the people of Zanzibar. Pictured are students and teachers at Mtopepo B Primary School, Zanzibar, where the ceremony took place.
Posted July 28, 2006 • Permanent Link
News from the World Food Program:
Books for Africa, USAID, Mercy Corps and WFP team up to help Liberian Schools
10 April 2006
MONROVIA, Liberia — Books for Africa, a US-based private charity, in partnership with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Mercy Corps and the UN World Food Programme (WFP), announces the latest installment of books in an innovative drive that is delivering hundreds of thousands of books to African schools.
A total of three containers packed with some 70,000 new and used schoolbooks arrived in port of Monrovia in February and March 2006, destined for bookshelves in schools across the country. A large number of these books will be handed over to the Ministry of Education by WFP, USAID and Mercy Corps for distribution to primary schools throughout the country. The books will be handed over to the Ministry of Education in an official ceremony on Wednesday, April 12 at 10:00 am at WFP Logistic Unit, Port.
Since 1988, Books for Africa (BFA) has shipped more than 10 million books to Africa, with experience in many African countries: Botswana, Cameroon, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“Our goal is to end the book famine in Africa,” said Pat Plonski, Executive Director of Books for Africa, based in Minneapolis, MN. “This innovative partnership with WFP enables us to tap into the WFP school feeding network, penetrating even the poorest and most remote rural areas.”
The Books for Africa, USAID and WFP partnership, established in September 2004, aims to deliver more than 400,000 books worth over $2 million during a year-long period to WFP school feeding locations across Africa.
So far, deliveries nine containers have been delivered to Lesotho, Swaziland, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the Gambia. Each container included approximately 35,000 primary school books. The last three containers are all destined for distribution in Liberia. The overseas transportation cost of the third Liberian container, a 40-foot container holding 35,000 books, was made possible by a donation from Mercy Corps.
USAID has sponsored the project with a $96,000 partnership grant, while overseas transport costs have been donated by shipping companies like TNT, Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping, Safmarine and Seaboard.
Posted May 22, 2006 • Permanent Link
BFA warehouse manager Brad Mattson explains book sorting and shipping activities to a Liberian delegation touring the warehouse on May 2nd. The delegation discussed a collaborative proposal to ship large quantities of textbooks to Liberia on the heels of the recent election of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a Harvard-educated banker sworn in as Africa’s first female president. Alexander P. Gbayee, Liberia’s consul general, as well as representatives of Better World Books and the Liberian Literacy Foundation, joined in the day’s discussions about how best to combine efforts.
Posted May 3, 2006 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa’s Board Chair, Gena Doyscher, speaks with 12 print, radio, and television journalists from francophone Africa during a visit to the Books For Africa warehouse on April 6th. The U.S. Department of State sponsored a specialized International Visitor Leadership Program to bring these representatives to Minnesota. Eleven countries were represented by these participants: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central Africa Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Niger, Republic of Congo, and Senegal. The three-week study tour hosted by the Minnesota International Center explored the application of journalistic principles in a democratic society.
Posted May 2, 2006 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa was invited to present to the African diplomatic corps of the United Nations at African Union offices in New York City on March 13, 2006. The agenda for the day included a presentation by Books For Africa regarding its activities, and a presentation by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs on Millennium Project goals. Pictured above with BFA Executive Director Pat Plonski (left) is Sivu Maqungo, Minister Counselor of South Africa to the United Nations. His Excellency Maqungo chaired the day’s session at the African Union.
Posted March 23, 2006 • Permanent Link
The BFA delegation to Tanzania conducted school visits in February of 2006. This is a photo of a typical school in Tanzania, East Africa with classes conducted in mud huts.
The BFA delegation to Tanzania visited the Children’s Book Project in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which publishes books in Kiswahili. Books For Africa presented a donation to assist in defraying the costs of printing books in this local language.
More students in Tanzania visited by the BFA delegation with mud school buildings in the background.
Posted March 2, 2006 • Permanent Link
Girl scouts from the Expo Elementary School in St. Paul, Minnesota show off some of the books they donated for shipment to children in Africa.
Posted December 27, 2005 • Permanent Link
BFA books being unloaded in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Library outfitted with BFA books.
Dear Pat and Ibibia,
I am delighted to inform you that as scheduled last Friday 25 November 2005, we commissioned at the Nigerian Society of Engineers in Port Harcourt, Nigeria our library and center project that is part of the Jon Postel’s IT centers programme that we started in 1992.
The center has been made possible thanks to our traditional sponsors and with a great help of your organization “Books for Africa” that donated almost 16,000 books.
The center comprises:
The project that started on 2004 has a value of US$70,000 approximately. (The cost of the books is excluded because donated by “Books for Africa.”)
This time the library was named after our late first president Prof. T.C. Nwodo, when all the center is in Memory of Jon Postel.
Authorities and school officials as well as Prof’s relatives, students and professionals attended the ceremony and everybody praised the role of the program.
We pointed out the very important role the you plaid on the acquisition of the books.
As we said on the initial stage of the project we are very serious on our intent and I want sent some pictures showing the centers with all the components.
Anyway I have no words to thank you for your support on materialize books donation.
Thanks again from all the IT Library Committee members, The NSE Port Harcourt Branch and the Schools that received the books.
I believe this information as well as the pictures can be published on your web page.
Thanks again for great job!!!!!
Warm Regards
Giandomenico Massari
IT Library Committee Chairman
Posted December 1, 2005 • Permanent Link
A Books For Africa delegation visited the Eshowe region of Kwazulu Natal in South Africa in October to inspect the distribution of approximately 100,000 textbooks by the Rotary Club of Eshowe. The Books For Africa delegation visited schools throughout the region, including schools that have received books and schools still waiting for book deliveries.
Posted November 8, 2005 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa was pleased to host a delegation of African journalists visiting under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program and the Minnesota International Center. Members of the delegation interacted with BFA staff regarding literacy trends in Africa, and how to improve book distribution systems. Countries represented in the delegation included Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Nigeria, Senegal, and Zimbabwe.
Posted September 28, 2005 • Permanent Link
U.S. Ambassador to Uganda, Jimmy Kolker, spoke at a special Books For Africa Kilimanjaro Society program on September 1st at the University Club of St. Paul, Minnesota. The reception featured an overview by Ambassador Kolker and an interactive discussion including a question and answer period with Kilimanjaro Society members. Ambassador Kolker also toured the BFA warehouse. The U.S. Embassy in Uganda recently sponsored the delivery and distribution throughout Uganda of a container of textbooks from Books For Africa.
Posted September 14, 2005 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa recently hosted a delegation from the parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania. The delegation was traveling across the United States as part of the American Council of Young Political Leaders and toured the Books For Africa warehouse when they were in Minnesota. Books For Africa has shipped approximately 950,000 books to Tanzania since 1988.
Posted July 7, 2005 • Permanent Link
Elementary School Children Donate $2,439 to Books For Africa as Net Proceeds From Pickle Sales—Meet the newest members of the Books For Africa Kilimanjaro Society! Kindergarten students at George Elementary School in Arkansas sold pickles for 50 cents apiece in their school to raise funds to ship books to Africa. The students also coordinated the shipment of a truckload of textbooks from Arkansas to Minnesota for shipment to Africa. The students were inspired by their teacher, Karen Wiggins, who is traveling to do mission work in Tanzania, East Africa. Books For Africa thanks the students of George Elementary School for their dedication to helping children in Africa to learn.
Posted July 7, 2005 • Permanent Link
On February 19, U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Jimmy Kolker officially handed over a donation of more than 10,000 textbooks to Islamic University in Mbale. Islamic University Rector Dr. Ahmad Kamal Sengendo received the donation on behalf of the University. The U.S. Embassy will also be donating books to dozens of primary schools around the country.
Posted March 30, 2005 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa board members and staff recently hosted Congresswoman Betty McCollum of St. Paul, Minnesota as well as representatives of the Minnesota Trade Office and the Corporate Council on Africa at a warehouse tour. The group discussed opportunities for increased cooperation between Books For Africa, government entities, the For-Profit sector, and key non-profits such as Rotary International.
Posted February 25, 2005 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa recently partnered with the World Bank Book Project, Global Transitions International, the U.S. Departments of Defense and State, Bromelkamp Company, and the Donaldson Foundation, to ship 100,000 books to the Rotary Club of Eshowe, South Africa. Pictured above are students in Eshowe receiving the first of three containers of books.
Posted February 25, 2005 • Permanent Link
Books For Africa partnered with the United Nation Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), FORGE, and the World Refugee Academy (WRA) to send a container to Lusaka, Zambia, to establish a library at the Meheba Refugee Camp in Zambia.
Posted February 3, 2005 • Permanent Link
Stephanie Hazen, U.S. Peace Corp Volunteer, organized a shipment from Books For Africa to Kameru Senior Primary School in Opuwo, Namibia. This container was sent through the generosity of the Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation.
Posted December 21, 2004 • Permanent Link
The Rancho Cucamonga Rotary Club based in California sponsored with BFA the delivery of 25,000 books to Ukweli Training Center (a project and orphanage of Empowering Lives International) in rural Kenya. Dee Matreyek of the Rancho Cucamonga Rotary Club met the container in Nairobi and assisted in the book distribution process.
Posted November 5, 2004 • Permanent Link
BFA continues to develop its strategic partnership with
Better World Books (formerly known as Campus Community Outreach).
Better World Books helped celebrate the shipment of BFA’s 10
millionth book on October 2, 2004 with a special presentation
of a pledge in the amount of $121,225 for FY 05. Xavier Helgesen,
who has recently joined BFA’s board of directors, Jeff Kurtzman,
and David Murphy from Better World Books were on hand to present
the pledge and a $20,000 check to BFA. This pledge makes Better
World Books the largest single donor to BFA for FY 2005. Better
World Books has already provided BFA with cash donations totalling
$67,100 as well as book donations.
“This level of support by Better World Books is critical to Books For Africa to enable us to continue our mission of serving the children of Africa,” said Books For Africa Executive Director Pat Plonski. “The unrestricted donations and pledges by Better World Books to Books For Africa represent approximately 23% of our annual operating budget. We will have the capacity to ship hundreds of thousands of books to Africa as a direct result of this generous support by Better World Books,” Plonski continued.
Better World Books is an organization that utilizes the value of the used book to fund socially responsible literacy initiatives worldwide. Books are collected from schools, individuals, and universities and sold via the internet and other mechanisms with the profits used to benefit Books For Africa. For more information about Better World Books visit their website at www.betterworldbooks.com.
Posted November 5, 2004 • Permanent Link
U of MN President Bob Bruininks and state
Senator Sandy Papas, honorary chairs for the "Book and a Buck"
campaign.
From May 5-May 17th the U of MN will be collecting books and contributions on behalf of BFA. For more information see the U News Service here: www1.umn.edu/twincities
Posted May 8, 2003 • Permanent Link
© 2007 Books For Africa / This page last updated: October 2, 2007
