Books 2 Africa

BOOK DRIVE 2008

With the need for books so big in South Africa, I realized that there were still many schools which could benefit from such a donation. After the
success of the first book drive, I decided to do a second book drive during April of 2008. I contacted school administrators and teachers in six
different schools in the Bentonville school district: Bentonville High School, Washington Junior High School, Spring Hill Middle School, Ruth Hale
Barker Middle School, Mary Mae Jones Elementary School, and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School.

I received a tremendous amount of support from everybody involved. This time, approximately 9,400 books were donated by the students and staff
at the various schools. Many thanks to all who contributed to the success of this book drive!

  • At BENTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, my band teacher encouraged the band students to become involved in the book drive. She even allowed
    collection points in the band room. My fellow band students lived up to the call for books and donated a lot of books.    

  • I was invited to MARY MAE JONES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL to do an interview for their school’s newsletter. The interview was conducted by
    some of the 4th grade students there. They then published an article about the book drive in their monthly newsletter where they asked their
    fellow students for donations. The students responded well to the request and many books were donated.

  • At RUTH BARKER MIDDLE SCHOOL, an English teacher proposed a challenge to all her English classes. If they could donate a certain
    amount of books, she promised to donate 500 of her own books. Of course, kids love a challenge! They brought so many donated books to
    school, that she knew within a few days that she will have to start looking through her own personal library to see which 500 books she would
    donate.

  • The Student Council at SPRING HILL MIDDLE SCHOOL invited me to come and speak to them. After explaining to them what my purpose for
    the book drive is, they immediately came up with a plan of action. They decided to challenge the different classrooms to see which classroom
    could donate the most books. The classroom in each grade that donated the most books was rewarded. In the end, thousands of books were
    donated!

  • THOMAS JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL supported the book drive by donating many books.

  • WASHINGTON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL once again supported the book drive and used the school's television channel, WJHTV, to
    encourage the students to donate books for the second book drive. Once again, the teachers and students supported the book drive by
    donating many books.


After all the books were labeled (mentioning that the books were donated by the children of Bentonville,
Arkansas) and packed, we started the process to get the 72 boxes of books to South Africa. Through my
Rotary Club contact in South Africa, Mr. Roland Jones, I found a Rotary Club in Seabrook, Texas who is
running the most wonderful project to address the shortage of books in so many developing countries.
Their project is called Rotary Books for the World.

Millions of used books (including fiction and non fiction books, though most of them are old school text
books that are no longer in use), have been collected by various Rotary Clubs in 16 states across the US
and then sent down to the Rotary Books for the World depot in Houston. The pallets of books are placed
in shipping containers that the Second Wind Foundation (the financial arm of the Rotary Books for the World project) has purchased. The books
are placed at the bottom, and lighter items such as medical supplies, used computers, school desks, and even soccer balls are placed on top of
them. The container is then shipped to South Africa.

















The containers are taken to the Rotary Humanitarian Aid Center in Bedfordview, near Johannesburg. The books are sorted into categories and
schools, universities, and churches (even prisons) can apply to come and pick out suitable books (there is a process in place to make sure only
institutions with a real need for books are allowed). Once the container is empty, windows and doors are cut into it and it is then used as a library or
medical clinic in areas in need of such facilities.



















Further information about Rotary Books for the World can be found at the following websites:

Lifting literacy levels in South Africa

Books for the World: Every Donation Counts

Literacy project hits the road with a renowned African explorer


PDG Charlie Clemmons gave approval that my two pallets of books could be shipped free of charge in one of their containers bound for South
Africa. The two pallets with all the books left Bentonville for Houston in the beginning of September 2008. However, a few weeks after the books
arrived in Houston, the coast of Texas was devastated by Hurricane Ike. This caused a delay in sending shipments out to South Africa as the people
living in that area had to pick up the pieces of their own lives first.

The books finally left on their long journey to South Africa the beginning of 2009. Upon their arrival at the Rotary Humanitarian Aid Center in
Bedfordview a few weeks later, the books were sorted into age and subject categories, and distributed to schools who needed the books the most.
Right: The children at this school received some of the old text books
schools in America do not use anymore. In stead of filling up landfills, these
books got a new lease on life, and will be used for many years to come.  
Right: An example of a shipping container changed into a community library
(photo supplied by Rotary Books for the World)