"A" is for Africa, founded and led by Mardi Byers, is an initiative that seeks to open worlds beyond the classroom by connecting children across cultures through books, friendships and shared opportunities.
In partnership with Books & Beyond, "A" is for Africa is supporting the development of libraries at Makutano Primary & Junior School and Kathonzweni AIC Boarding Primary School in Kathonzweni, Makueni County, Kenya, together reaching 1,353 learners.
Through Mardi and the "A" is for Africa network, the project engages schools, students, families and communities across Europe, encouraging them to organise book drives, fundraising activities and other forms of support for the participating schools in Kenya. As part of this work, Roshni led an extensive book drive in the UK, bringing together the generosity of families and communities to collect approximately 3,200 books for children in Kenya.
Support can also be directed towards specific and tangible library needs — a chair, a table, a bookshelf, flooring, ceiling repairs, or any of the other things needed to turn an existing space into a welcoming and functional school library. Breaking the project into achievable needs lets young people see how even a relatively small contribution makes a meaningful difference to another child's education.
An important part of the initiative is therefore not only to encourage children to read, but to give young people themselves the chance to experience the joy and value of giving.
Beyond establishing the libraries, the partnership hopes to create lasting connections between schools in Kenya and Europe, allowing children to share books, ideas and experiences and to learn from one another across cultures.
Books & Beyond coordinates the projects locally with the participating schools, making sure support responds to identified needs and that each library is properly established, managed and sustained.
We are grateful to Mardi and the "A" is for Africa community for bringing their energy, generosity and international network to this partnership, and for helping young people become part of making these libraries possible.
International partnerships · Fundraising · Books · School connections
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