Little Free Library, Books For Africa, San José State Collaborate To Send 50,000 Children’s Books to Kenya
Little Free Library, Books For Africa, San José State Collaborate
To Send 50,000 Children’s Books to Kenya
MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Doug Stone, Books For Africa media consultant
651-336-9907/ stone7586@gmail.com
Margret Aldrich, Communications Director, Little Free Library
715-690-2488 x805/ maldrich@littlefreelibrary.org
What: Little Free Library and Books For Africa, nonprofits based in St. Paul, are collaborating with students and faculty at San José State University in California to send 50,000 children’s books to the Kenyan National Library Service and to Little Free Libraries throughout the country. Called “Soma Safari,” meaning Reading Adventure, the project is aimed at improving literacy among children. Students and faculty at the School of Information at San José State helped organize the shipment, raised money and coordinated with the Kenyan National Library Service to organize book distribution and help create a “book ecosystem.” Little Free Library is also sending new Libraries. Books For Africa has collected the books and is helping to organize the shipment. Thomson Reuters has provided funds for this shipment and for a reference law library as well.
Who: His Excellency David Kerick, Ambassador of Kenya to the United States, will announce the collaboration along with leaders from the organizations. Ambassador Kerick, a lawyer by profession, has vast experience in strategic management, policy development, performance management and leadership. He has been ambassador to the U.S. since 2024. Kenya is located in eastern Africa with a population of 52.4 million (in 2024), 7th largest in Africa.
When: 3 p.m. Friday, May 23. (The ambassador will also speak at 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. that day at the Books For Africa annual breakfast and lunch at the Midland Hills Country Club in Roseville.)
Where: Little Free Library headquarters, 2327 Wycliff St., Suite 220, St. Paul, MN 55114.
Why: Here’s how the leaders explained the importance of the project:
Patrick Plonski, Executive Director of Books For Africa: “Advancing education and literacy among students in Kenya and throughout Africa is the essence of our mission and working with these great partners contributes substantially to this effort. Kenya has been the number one country served by Books For Africa for several years now, so we are pleased to help get more books to Kenya under this project.”
Greig Metzger, Little Free Library Executive Director: "With Little Free Library book-exchange boxes in 128 countries around the world, it is only natural for us to join the Soma Safari initiative and donate the boxes that will be used in this pilot program. It is an honor to be working with existing partners—our St. Paul neighbor, Books for Africa, with its long legacy of providing books across the African continent, and the San José State University iSchool—as well as new partners, the Kenya National Library Service and Knowledge Empowering Youth. We are confident that this collaboration can inspire young Kenyans to become lifelong readers."
Dr. Anthony Chow, Director of the SJSU School of Information: “The Soma Safari project exemplifies our mission to promote global literacy and equitable access to information—helping build stronger communities one book at a time.”
Dr. Charles Nzivo, CEO, Kenya National Library Service: “Soma Safari is an important national initiative that brings books closer to communities, ignites a love for reading, and strengthens the foundation for a more informed, empowered, and inclusive society.”
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Little Free Library® (LFL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that builds community, inspires readers and expands book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Library book-sharing boxes. There are more than 200,000 registered Little Free Libraries worldwide in all 50 states, in 128 countries and on all 7 continents. Through them, over 400 million books have been shared. LFL has received the World Literacy Award as well as honors from the Library of Congress and National Book Foundation. The organization grants Little Free Libraries full of books to underserved areas through its Impact Library and Indigenous Library programs and champions diverse books through its Read in Color initiative.
Books For Africa remains the largest shipper of donated text and library books to the African continent, shipping almost 63 million books serving all 55 countries on the African continent since 1988. Last year alone, Books For Africa shipped over 1.6 million books, valued at over $16 million, to 31 African countries. Approximately one million digital books were also shipped on 357 computers and tablets. Over $2.2 million was raised to ship these books to partners across Africa.
The San José State University School of Information is home to the largest Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program in the nation and the world. As a global leader in fully online education, the iSchool is dedicated to preparing information professionals through innovative programs that advance knowledge, promote access, and empower communities.
The Kenya National Library Service is a government agency that provides accessible library services nationwide, fostering knowledge, information access, and lifelong learning through its extensive library network and digital platforms.