Books For Africa was founded in 1988 as a non-profit (501.c.3) organization by Tom Warth, whose dream was to ship donated books to the children of Africa. Tom’s visit to a Ugandan library, where books were almost non-existent, inspired him to create a system for collecting discarded books from American schools, libraries and publishers to send to Africa. Here's how Tom tells the story:
“I’d met a Ugandan lady when she was visiting her children in
the U.S.,” says Tom, a British immigrant whose accent has faded
after a lifetime in the midwest. “I asked if I could come visit
her, and she agreed, though I’m not sure she believed I’d really
show up. I like adventure, and the best places to find it are
remote spots with no tourists, but where you know someone.”
Jinja, the woman’s hometown, fit that bill. Although it’s the
second largest city in Uganda, it’s not on many itineraries.
Tom arrived at the airport in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city,
and headed for Jinja on the bus—as he describes it, “racing
hell-bent for leather down the road while my driver took on
another bus in a race.” Wandering around Jinja one day with
his hostess, they came upon the local library. Stories diverge
as to whether the visit was planned or accidental, but Tom took
one look at the nearly empty shelves and the few scattered,
tattered books that were all at least 25 years old, and decided
to continue the adventure.
Back home, he spoke with a group of publishers, booksellers, and librarians who make up the Minnesota Book Publishers’ Roundtable.
A handful of people from this loose collection of book lovers met and formed what was to become Books For Africa. The idea was so simple; the potential was profound. Reclaim good books destined for dumps and landfills and put them where the need is greatest: into the hands of African children.
© 2004 Books For Africa / This page last updated: December 18, 2004