African Library Project

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.

AFRICAN LIBRARY PROJECT (ALP) CHANGES LIVES BOOK BY BOOK, TOGETHER WITH PARTNERS IN AFRICA AND NORTH AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS, TO CREATE, IMPROVE AND SUSTAIN LIBRARIES IN AFRICAN COMMUNITIES. THE VISION OF OUR ORGANIZATION IS TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES BY CREATING SPACES THAT NURTURE LITERACY. OUR APPROACH IS GUIDED BY THE CORE VALUES OF PARTNERSHIP, INVOLVEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY. IN 2021, OUR BOOK DRIVE ORGANIZERS HELPED CREATE OR IMPROVE 286 SMALL LIBRARIES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES IN BOTSWANA, GHANA, KENYA, LESOTHO, MALAWI AND UGANDA. THOUGH THE YEAR WAS MARKED BY CONTINUING GLOBAL CHALLENGES DUE TO COVID-19, OUR WORK CONTINUED UNINTERRUPTED THROUGH MANY ACTS OF RESILIENCE AND INNOVATION AMONG THE ALP COMMUNITY. IN 2021, VOLUNTEERS COORDINATED OVER 275 SUCCESSFUL BOOK DRIVES AMONG 217 ORGANIZERS (BOTH INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS, SUCH AS HOUSEHOLDS AND SCHOOLS). WE WELCOMED 134 FIRST TIME BOOK DRIVE ORGANIZERS, OF WHICH 29 CONTRIBUTED TO MORE THAN ONE BOOK DRIVE. COLLECTIVELY, OUR BOOK DRIVES COLLECTED 300,670 BOOKS THAT WENT TOWARDS THE CREATION OF LIBRARIES IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES WITH LITTLE TO NO ACCESS TO BOOKS AND READING MATERIALS IN SIX COUNTRIES. BASED ON LIBRARY APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, OUR 2021 BOOK DRIVES PROVIDED APPROXIMATELY 320,100 STUDENTS WITH ACCESS TO A LIBRARY IN THEIR SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY. IN 2021, WE ALSO DEVOTED TIME TO STRENGTHENING ALP FOR THE FUTURE. VOLUNTEERS, STAFF, AND BOARD MEMBERS COLLABORATED TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO ENSURE ALP'S FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY, DEEPEN AND DIVERSIFY ENGAGEMENT IN ALP, MEASURE OUR IMPACT, AND CLARIFY AND CODIFY OUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. FURTHER, THE BOARD COMMITTED TO PROMOTING EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION IN ALL WE DO. THIS INCLUDES INCORPORATING AND AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS-PARTNERS, LIBRARIANS, READERS, BOOK DRIVE ORGANIZERS-TO ACHIEVE ALP'S MISSION. AT ALP, WE CONSIDER COLLABORATION TO BE VITAL TO OUR MISSION. WE WORK WITH 12 KEY PARTNERS IN THE AFRICAN COUNTRIES WHERE WE ESTABLISH LIBRARIES. THESE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDE A COMBINATION OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND UNIVERSITIES, AS WELL AS MANY DEDICATED EDUCATION AND LIBRARY PROFESSIONALS. WE INVEST IN BRINGING TOGETHER INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES IN NORTH AMERICA AND AFRICA TO CREATE SPACES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING AND LITERACY. WE EMBRACE A DIVERSITY OF PERSPECTIVES IN ALL THAT WE DO AND BELIEVE THAT FRUITFUL, LONG-LASTING, PARTNERSHIPS ARE BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF MUTUAL RESPECT, TRUST AND LEARNING. WE BUILD NETWORKS OF TALENTED VOLUNTEERS THAT SPAN CULTURES, GEOGRAPHY AND GENERATIONS, ALL CONTRIBUTING THEIR ENERGY, SKILLS, RESOURCES, PASSION, IDEAS AND CREATIVITY TO ASSEMBLE, SHIP, SET UP AND OPERATE LIBRARIES AND PROMOTE LITERACY AND A LOVE FOR LEARNING. WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF OUR WORK AND THE ABSOLUTE JOY IN DOING IT TOGETHER.WE BELIEVE IN A LONG-TERM VISION OF THE POSSIBLE. EACH LIBRARY SPACE WE CO-CREATE WITH OUR VOLUNTEERS, PARTNERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TAKES ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN, EVER-GROWING, CONSTANTLY EVOLVING TO REFLECT THE SPIRIT OF THOSE WHO USE THEM. WE STRIVE TO SUPPORT THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF THESE SPACES BY INVESTING IN THE PEOPLE, TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS AND EDUCATORS, WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THESE SPACES TO EXIST AND TO THRIVE, THROUGH SHARING SYSTEMS TO ORGANIZE, MAINTAIN AND CARE FOR LIBRARY COLLECTIONS, CREATING KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES AND FOSTERING DIALOGUE ACROSS PARTNERS AND COMMUNITIES TO SHARE WHAT WORKS AND CELEBRATE EACH OTHER'S SUCCESSES. OUR PROCESS INVOLVES MATCHING BOOK DRIVE ORGANIZERS DIRECTLY WITH A LIBRARY APPLICANT, ENSURING THAT THE BOOKS COLLECTED ARE AT THE PROPER READING LEVEL. TO MEET THE NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS OF LIBRARY APPLICANTS, ALP LIBRARIES ARE SORTED INTO FIVE CATEGORIES: EARLY CHILDHOOD, PRIMARY SCHOOL, SECONDARY SCHOOL, JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY. THIS MATCHING PROCESS HAS THE BENEFIT OF ESTABLISHING A UNIQUE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE BOOK DRIVE ORGANIZER AND LIBRARY RECIPIENTS, AS WELL AS OPTIMIZING THE IMPACT OF EACH BOOK DRIVE. ALP IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING THE FUNCTIONING AND SUSTAINABILITY OF LIBRARIES WE HELP ESTABLISH. IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR LOCAL PARTNERS, ALP CONDUCTS IN-PERSON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AND WORKSHOPS FOR TEACHER-LIBRARIANS AND EDUCATORS. AN ALP LIBRARY MANUAL IS PROVIDED AS A RESOURCE FOR EACH LIBRARY. THE TRAINING WORKSHOPS AND MANUAL PROVIDE AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO EFFECTIVELY SET UP, MANAGE AND MAINTAIN A LIBRARY AND ITS COLLECTIONS, IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE SUCCESSFUL FUNCTIONING AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE LIBRARY. ALP ALSO SUPPLEMENTS THE COLLECTIONS WITH ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND RESOURCES, SUCH AS HIV/AIDS JUNIOR AFRICAN WRITERS SERIES BOOKS AND STEM MATERIALS.