News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.