3,698
Libraries within 13 Countries
3,851,368
books shipped
1,500+
Partnerships
Our Mission: The African Library Project changes lives book by book, together with partners in Africa and North American volunteers, to create, improve, and sustain libraries in African communities.
Our Vision: expand opportunities by creating spaces that nurture literacy.
Why Organize a Book Drive with the African Library Project?
• Too many children on the African continent grow up without books, while bookshelves and landfills elsewhere overflow with books no longer read.
• In many of the communities we serve, young people have little to no access to reading materials beyond textbooks (when provided).
• We serve Anglophone countries where students are tested in English for standardized exams that are required for advancement. However, these students lack books to support their reading development.
• Reading fosters critical thinking skills and creativity.
• Teachers in many rural areas may teach reading, writing, math and English without a single book to use as a resource.
Our Approach
Our volunteers in the United States and Canada organize book drives by rallying their communities to collect gently used children’s books and raise funds for shipping. Thanks to our international network of partners, volunteers, and community supporters, these donated books are transformed into sustainable community-based libraries. Here’s how we do it!
1. Partner
We partner with local organizations in African countries to find and vet schools and communities in need of books.
2. Mobilize
We mobilize volunteers and match each U.S. or Canadian book drive to an approved school or community.
3. Sustain
Working with our partners, we ship and distribute each library to the recipient school and provide support and training for sustainability.
Our Blog
What We Learned in Our 1st Book Drive: Book Drive Organizer Spotlight
Book Lovers Unite to Share Their Passion with Readers in Lesotho and Botswana: Book Drive Organizer Spotlight
Book Lovers Unite to Share Their Passion with Readers in Lesotho and Botswana African Library Project 2022: Makintane High School, Lesotho and Matlola Primary School, Botswana We are a group of young readers who enjoy reading the most. Visiting the library is one of...
Family Came Together to Collect Book by Book: Book Drive Organizer Spotlight
Family came together to collect Book by Book African Library Project 2022: Telle Primary School, Lesotho In 2021, Bhuvana began the first book drive for Uganda. With her success story, she signed up for more projects in 2022 with her friends and community kids. This...