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The annual reception honoring Books For Africa’s Kilimanjaro Society donors was held July 27 at the University Club of St. Paul. It was also attended by 25 young African leaders in residency at the Humphrey Institute of the University of Minnesota and featured a poolside concert with local reggae band Ipso Facto! 

Twenty-five young African leaders commemorated Nelson Mandela International Day on Tuesday by volunteering at the Books For Africa warehouse in St. Paul.  On the day, named for the late South African leader and dedicated to service in his honor, they sorted and packed books for the organization and got a briefing on its mission to end the book famine in Africa. Books For Africa has shipped more than 38 million books to 49 countries since its founding in 1988.

25 fellows with the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which is run by the U.S. State Department, observed Mandela Day by converging at the Saint Paul warehouse of Books For Africa to sort and pack books that are bound for Africa. The State Department runs the fellowship through the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) which this year has brought 1,000 promising African leaders for six-week long residencies at universities across the country. This was one of former president Barack Obama’s signature initiatives targeting the African continent.

Books For Africa is planning a trip to Cape Town in January of 2018 to celebrate 30 years of working to end the book famine in Africa.  Included will be a climb of Table Mountain, tours of Cape Town and visits to recipient BFA schools!

Most people know that education is the key to ending global poverty. If the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers and parents are better educated, they will be more equipped to improve their conditions.  Books For Africa is an organization that is working to accomplish that goal today. Its message is clearly stated on its website: “education is the great equalizer in the world, and books are at the foundation of a strong educational system.”