Books For Africa
A simple name for an organization with a simple mission. We collect, sort, ship, and distribute books to students of all ages in Africa. Our goal: to end the book famine in Africa.
Books For Africa remains the largest shipper of donated text and library books to the African continent, shipping over 42 million books to all 55 countries on the African continent since 1988. In fiscal year 2018 alone, Books For Africa shipped 2.3 million books, and 123 computers and e-readers containing 283,000 digital books, to 29 African countries. More than $2.2 million was raised last year to ship these books to the students of Africa.
To learn more about groups currently fundraising to ship books to specific African countries, view the Projects page.
To learn more about the Jack Mason Law & Democracy Initiative, Agricultural Libraries, or French Books view the Special Initiatives page
Contact Books for AfricaBooks For Africa is a simple idea, but its impact is transformative. For us, literacy is quite simply the bridge from misery to hope.
— Kofi Annan, former U.N. Secretary-General
EIN 41-1627391
The Latest
Books Reach Students in Soweto and Durban, South Africa
Last summer we were pleased to host a group from the MN Orchestra at our Minnesota warehouse, where they helped unveil two beautiful Little Free Libraries to be included in a BFA container shipment to South Africa. These books have now been delivered and distributed, and are contributing to educational opportunity for students in Soweto, South Africa. T
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Books For Africa Founder to Hike Eagle Mountain to Support Literacy in Zimbabwe
Books For Africa founder Tom Warth is organizing a fundraiser to ship books to Zimbabwe! Tom plans to hike Eagle Mountain, the highest elevation in Minnesota at 2,301 feet. This will take place Sunday, May 26, 2019 Participants will combine fundraising efforts, with a $12,000 goal to fully fund a 40 foot ocean container of books to be distributed to schools across Zimbabwe.
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Opinion: Donated books a key to building African democracy
The late Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary General and a son of Africa, once said: “Literacy is quite simply the bridge from misery to hope.” That sentiment is nowhere more important than among the youth of Africa, which has the youngest population in the world. Some 225 million Africans are between the ages of 15 and 24, a number that is expected to more than double in the next 40…
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Global Effort Sends Books To Lumwana, Zambia
A Books For Africa shipment of 22,000 books, which left our Warehouse in August, was recently received in Zambia! Container captain Martyn Howie led a successful fundraising effort from his home in Lumwana, Zambia, building support from around the globe for the Lumwana Book Project.
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Books For Africa 2018 Recipient Feedback Survey
In 2016 Books For Africa implemented an enhanced post-shipment survey to improve the monitoring and evaluation process for container projects. The 2018 survey, compiled by BFA Project Manager Erin Yates, includes feedback from 43 recipients from 25 countries across the African continent.
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