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Created on Friday, 12 June 2009 05:24

 

Books or Africa, the world’s largest shipper of donated books to the African Continent, has opened a 20,000 square-foot ware house cum office in Atlanta, GA.  The new facility, located just afew miles West of the city of Atlanta, will serve as the organization’s primary shipping, receiving and sorting center.

  

Speaking during the grand opening ceremony held recently, James Kiiru, the Commercial attaché to the Kenyan Embassy in Washington DC., praised the organization for its exemplary efforts.

  

In  a message from Kenya’s Ambassador to the US, Peter Ogego, Kiiru said that the Embassy greatly appreciates the organization’s work as it complements the efforts being made by most African countries, most of which are striving to offer formal education to their children. “Africa will forever be grateful  to Books for Africa as its efforts continue to positively impact education development on the continent”. He said that the continent is faced with a lot of challenges, most of which directly affect the children. “It is good to know that someone cares. The Kenyan Embassy will do everything in its powers support you as it believes in your dream,” he said amid applause.

  

Speaking earlier, Books for Africa’s President-elect, Tom Gitaa, said that the organization greatly appreciates the cooperation and support given by African embassies in Washington DC. “We recognize the fact that we cannot do much without their invaluable support”, he said. Gitaa added that the organization was grate ful to talk-show host Oprah Winfrey and Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), for their recent donation of $95,000 and $100,000 respectively.  “We are truly grateful and intend to be shipping at least a hundred containers annually from this new location”.

  

 

  

The attendees listened attentively as Books for Africa founder, Tom Warth, told the story of how the organization came to be. Upon selling his business in 1988, he went on a tour of Africa. While in Jinja, Uganda, he came upon a library with empty shelves. “When I looked at those children’s faces, I knew that they yearned for knowledge but they had no way of getting it”, said Warth. The urge to touch their lives and others like them led him to create a system for collecting discarded books from American schools, colleges, Libraries, and publishers. What began as a one man’s concern 21 years ago has grown to unimaginable proportions. “But we are not there yet. The 21 million books we have sent to 45 countries are not enough. We need more books, money, and volunteers”, he said.

  

Delta Airlines, which offered to deliver the first shipment to Kenya free of charge, promised to continue partnering with development-oriented agencies to offer relief to the needy. “We are very excited about it”, said Frank Wrenn, the External Affairs and Community Relations Manager.

  

But it was perhaps the founder and Executive Director of Our Reading Spaces, Irene Mbari-Kirika, who summed it up for everyone when she said: “Education is a fundamental human right. We all have an obligation to make sure that all children, regardless of where they are, get it”.

  

 With a mission to end the book famine in Africa, Books for Africa collects, sorts, ships and distributes high-quality books to needy children in Africa.  Books donated by publishers, schools, libraries, individuals and organizations are sorted and packed by volunteers who carefully choose the ones which are age and subject appropriate.  Each 40-foot container, which holds approximately 22,000 books, benefits approximately 250,000 students over the life of the books.  Each container costs approximately $9,500 to ship, which is less than 50 cents per book.   

  

Books for Africa will continue to keep its organization’s headquarters and operate a warehouse facility in St. Paul, Minn.

  

 

  

Present during the ceremony were Elisa Voelkel of H.J. Russell & Company , David Murphy of Better World Books, Beth McClurg of Cushman & Wakefield and Wilson Kimani Wanguhu, Kim Media Group CEO. Others included Kenyan businessman Peter Mwaniki  and Kenyan businesswoman Elizabeth Mungai, who donated hundreds of books. A renowned Atlanta-based educationist, Dr. Esther Kihara, donated tens of hundreds of books in absentia.

  

 

  

(BMJ Muriithi is an Atlanta based freelance photojournalist. He can be reached via emailat This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )