Agency Details:

African Library Project

The African Library Project improves the lives of Africans in Sub Saharan Africa by starting and improving small libraries, providing the basic tools of literacy while educating Americans about Africa.

Description:
The African Library Project coordinates book drives in the USA, pairing each one with a specific library project in Africa. 375 libraries have been started in Lesotho, Nigeria, Zambia, Botswana, Cameroon, Swaziland, Malawi and Zimbabwe. In Africa, we partner with African nationals who are community leaders and Peace Corps Volunteers to initiate libraries that have been requested by African schools and communities. In the U.S., we coordinate book drives in schools, churches, service clubs, Scouts, and other organizations to collect and ship gently used books with money they have raised. Each book drive collects the types of books requested by their African partner. Our U.S. partners educate their book donors about Africa during their book drive using a DVD and information from our website.

History:
Chris Bradshaw, a woman from Portola Valley, began starting libraries in 2004, after she was asked for help in Lesotho while on a pony trekking trip with her family. In October 2005, the African Library Project incorporated as a non-profit. Now a board of ten people guide the organization.

Contact person: Chris Bradshaw, Founder, (phone), (email)

Main office number: (650) 851-3640
Office fax number: (650) 851-3640

Address:

5 Thistle Street Portola Valley, CA 94028 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.africanlibraryproject.org

Directions:

From I-280, exit west onto Alpine Road. In 3 miles, proceed through the stop sign and take second left onto Indian Crossing. At first stop sign, turn right onto Thistle. First house on left is the headquarters for the African Library Project

Last updated on October 28, 2009