BFA Founder, Tom Warth, Will Make a Walk to Remember Across the Gambia

Ending the book famine in Africa will take more than just baby steps. That is why Tom Warth, founder of Books For Africa, will be making a trek across the Gambia.

Of 1.8 million people in the Gambia, a country hardly the size of Delaware, only 40% of people over the age of 15 can read. Warth is making the hike to raise awareness and funds to bring them books.

Warth and a group of supporters will be distributing donated books as they make their way along a 25 KM route on the Trans-Gambia Highway. The highway spans the central part of the country, which is almost completely surrounded by Senegal.

Books For Africa has partnered with Hand in Health—another Minneapolis based non-profit—to collect 44,000 books to be delivered during the walk. Among the books is a full “Law and Human Rights” library, donated by Thomson Reuters as a part of the Jack Mason Law & Democracy Initiative.

The books are ready to be shipped from BFA warehouses. All that is needed is $10,000 for shipping costs. BFA can send two full shipping containers of books to the Gambia with those donations.

So far, $1,000 has been donated to the project. Please make all donations through Razoo.

Want to follow the Walk? More information is coming soon on the Books For Africa site.