In 2026, we restocked 16 primary school and 7 secondary school libraries, as well as a prison library.
Libraries of Love ships 13,000-15,000 hardcover, new or like new books, to Africa each year. The Monday team of volunteers in Texas types a spine label for each book, plus labels for pockets and cards so the students can borrow the books to take home.
At present, we have 34 active school libraries in Uganda and eight in Kenya, along with three prison libraries: men’s, women’s and juvenile. The libraries each contain thousands of books and are as beautiful and organized as any library in America. We have people in Uganda and Kenya that work with us and check the libraries twice a month to make sure students are borrowing and the libraries are well kept. The schools must ensure books are being used to keep their libraries.
Following is this year’s story told in photos from from Executive Director Trudy Marshall’s social media posts. You can follow us here: https://www.facebook.com/LibrariesOfLove.
January 2, 2026 – Joseph, our Kenyan library supervisor, picked me up at the airport. Wonderful to see him again.
January 3, 2026 – Our Kampala sponsored students are off to camp!! Special thanks to John and Solome for making all the arrangements.
January 5, 2026 – Meet Fred, my metal worker, who builds library shelving, and James the tailor who does sewing for me.
January 10, 2026 – Meet Trudy, my Kenyan namesake. She is on the right, pictured with her twin. So adorable
January 13, 2026 – School was out at the Catholic preschool. All the kids wanted to touch or high five the mzungu😊 Fun!
Volunteers Betty, Anna, Dave and Paula packed the final box of books for the 2026 shipment. This year, we are restocking 16 primary school and 7 secondary school libraries, as well as a prison library. That involves processing 13,072 books, sorted and boxed by school. That is a total of 268 boxes. The 2026 shipment should leave later in January.
January 13, 2026 – Over 13,000 books left Texas for Uganda today! The books are all new or like new hardcover books. Each has a spine label for organization and a pocket and card so students can borrow. Thanks to all of you who made this possible again this year. Cheers!
January 14, 2026 – My little Maasai village…a good place.
January 19, 2026 – We had a meeting of Kenyan librarians today, plus two teachers. It was a wonderful time of learning library skills, singing, and having lunch! Great group. We are the Libraries of Love family
January 20, 2026 – Visiting libraries today!
January 21, 2026 – I enjoyed meeting with our Kenyan librarians! The back of our new t-shirts was designed by one of our college graduates, Musa Gibemi.
January 24, 2026 – Seen today…If you think your life is tough – try carrying this water container with a strap on the forehead and rolling one with your foot. They are beyond heavy!
January 27, 2026 – One month in Maasai – 7 libraries visited – many are very far, 15 sponsored students homes visited , insulation and painting delivered for 5 metal homes, furniture delivered to two homes that had no furniture, one new library visited and planned, will start the building of one new home this week – several churches and the Bible college visited. Each day busy!
January 28, 2026 – Come to Kenya. I’ll take you riding in a tuk-tuk!
January 29, 2026 – Yesterday I went in a classroom to visit. Before I left I asked them to show me their library books. I love that most of the books are nonfiction!
The teachers were all sitting together outside under a tree:)
January 31, 2026 – Line up! Time for breakfast porridge!
February 3, 2026 – Adorable kids – but difficult to see their classroom. I wish so much more for them. We have a library in this school.
I love that our libraries are the oasis, a beautiful room for them to enjoy.
February 6, 2026 – So wonderful that when I see kids who have torn uniforms at schools, I can just say, “Let’s go to the office. I’ll buy you new uniforms.” So very thankful to our donors that make it possible.
February 6, 2026 – Joseph, our librarian, on the left and Joseph, who oversees our libraries in Kenya, on the right. We had a good day working in the library!
February 10, 2026 – These kids were hard at work learning the numbers 1-10! I enjoyed visiting with them. They will grow up reading our books 📕 📚! 😊 The library is next to their room.
February 17, 2026 – Kids will be kids. Library time!
February 20, 2026 – Beautiful library. Beautiful librarian! This was our first library, provided in 2005 at Namirembe Primary School. It still looks great and students borrow books daily.
February 23, 2026 – Library time! 1st graders.
February 24, 2026 – From no books in schools to fully stocked libraries. Truly amazing. Thank you to those who provide books and funding. I am blessed to see the happy faces.
February 25, 2026 – Much learning, laughter, singing, and eating took place with twenty-two of our librarians today. Many thanks to Mengo Secondary School for hosting us!
February 27, 2026 – 107 kids, all in one class, came to the library today to borrow books.
February 28, 2026 – Happy birthday to John who with his wife, Solome, oversees our libraries and sponsored students in the Kampala area. Pictured left to right are Judith (their daughter), Solome, and John. In front are their children, Jordon, and twins- Chloe and Crystal. Pictured on the right is Julia who works for them.
March 3, 2026 – At a school today
March 4, 2026 – Our library is in what was once a church at Kings College, Buddo. A really beautiful building which is always busy with readers!
March 4, 2026 – This little one likes the book about author Bruce Hale. Bruce has donated many books to Libraries of Love
March 5, 2026 – These 3-5 year olds were learning the names of all the fruits today at one of our schools. Afterwards they were able to taste samples.
March 11, 2026 – On Amazon, my newest book covering years 2019-2025 in Africa. The paperback has great colored pictures, but the book can also be downloaded on Kindle. Enjoy!
March 12, 2026 – A preschool at one of our schools! So cute!
March 13, 2026 – Busy day today in one of our libraries! Several students were talking about sharing the books at home with their brothers and sisters.
March 15, 2026 – God Squad – we’re together again! We’ve now met each Sunday, when I am in my village of Masanda, for seven years. We loved sharing Jesus today with 102 neighbor kids, singing, laughing, praying together, and eating, of course!
Dan, Sam, Godfrey, Emma, Yusef, Aaron, Saleh, Musa.
March 18, 2026 – I was at the men’s prison today. Endless books had been borrowed and the sewing machines were working well! There are 1,670 men in the prison. I’m glad we can bless them. Our librarian asked to pray for me before I left.
March 19, 2026 – This little one forgot his book at home, but his mother returned it so he came to the library to borrow another one.
March 20, 2026 – Our librarian, Winnie, was busy putting cards back in books when this young one brought a book back and wanted to borrow another one. Namatala Primary library was our second, provided in 2006. Now there are fifty-six libraries
March 21, 2026 – The young man on the left volunteered to read a book to his class while I was there. The young one on the right wanted to say our opening prayer last Sunday. They both did a great job!
March 23, 2026 – Thousands of African students who had no access to books now go to their libraries each week to borrow books.
God bless our donors who have provided books and funding.
March 26, 2026 – On the road yesterday. All things are possible. I believe it’s all water or soda bottles.
March 28, 2026 – My neighbor Trudy! So cute. We are good friends:)
March 29, 2026 – It must be Sunday! They received suckers today instead of cookies!🍪
March 31, 2026 – Visiting libraries today taking fun pictures!
April 2, 2026 – These little ones were playing in the mud before going home. When they saw me they jumped up and I became the Pied Piper as we walked to our village.
April 4, 2026 – If you need a seat constructed, my neighbor, Moses, could take care of it. Moses was teaching with a certificate but thanks to our sponsors he now has a diploma and is working on a degree. He is little Trudy’s dad.
April 6, 2026 – A sports team came and wanted to read books in their library.
April 7, 2026 – Delivering a new bookshelf on a boda!
April 8, 2026 – We had an amazing time of sharing, learning, singing and eating (of course:) with the Mbale area librarians today!
April 9, 2026 – Time to leave the God Squad and village for a few weeks while I visit libraries and sponsored students in five other towns. Busy!
April 12, 2026 – Enjoyed a service today at All Saints Anglican Church. It was a service honoring the women involved in the ‘Mothers’ Union,’ and they all wore white dresses, gomesi’s, with blue sashes. I loved the old hymns that were sung.
April 15, 2026 – Time for library!
April 19, 2026 – Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world…
April 20, 2026 – I have gone to Dr. Wen for twenty-five years. He says I have malaria and a bacterial infection. I translated that as – go the mall and have some ice cream😊 Keep me in your prayers please.
April 25, 2026 – The container arrived today after a long trip across the ocean. Over 13,000 plus new or like new hardback books arrived in boxes ready to distribute to 23 libraries. These donations are a labor of love ❤️
April 26, 2026 – A couple schools picked up boxes of books using bodas / motorcycles. Gas is about $5.36 a gallon in Uganda. The trucks delivering books have been very expensive because of gas. Tomorrow a truck is coming from Kenya to take books there.
May 3, 2026 – Sunday School in my yard. We were able to give out paperbacks to around 100 kids, pictured are just a few of the kids. They 💕 love getting books! Next, fun with the God Squad.
May 4, 2026 – We organized books in two libraries today. One library added 1,100 books. The other 250 books. Both now have 14 shelving units totally full of books
May 9, 2026 – Pushing each other in a wheelbarrow. Village life. I love the way they play together outside instead of being in their houses.
May 10, 2026 – The God Squad and my fake cat from my daughters:) One hundred ten kids today! I miss my family very, very much, but thankful God supplies more family! **I don’t have pictures of my daughters since my phone was stolen:(. Love you Kimberly Ebright , Donita Ortega , and Lindy Fulford. Glad I’m your mom!
May 11, 2026 – Today I worked in our prison library. Then I walked down the railroad tracks, around the forest, and on to my village home. The road is safe. Lots of motorcycle traffic and most know me. Home sweet home! The men’s prison library is always busy!
May 12, 2026 – They make me smile:)
May 14, 2026 – We have now organized hundreds of new books in eight libraries. We have fifteen libraries to go. It is so much work organizing the new books in with the old – nonfiction by subject matter, and fiction by author’s last name. Each school has between 3000-14,000 books. The school library receives books three times the school population. Soon the libraries receiving books this year will all look like this picture:)
May 17, 2026 – So thankful for Marilyn Ketteman and her husband, Gordon, who have made and sent cross necklaces with me for many years. We had already given to many adults and today we gave to around 90 young people to take home to show and share about Jesus! God bless the Kettermans!
May 19, 2026 – Library #10 has been restocked and organized in the Mbale area. In a couple days I will leave to help with 17 libraries in the Kampala area, each receiving hundreds of new books. The new books have to be organized in with the books already in the libraries. Huge job! However, these schools would have no libraries if we didn’t provide. We are honored to bless the young people with interesting books to read.
May 20, 2026 – It’s a wonder they don’t keep me in prison, I seem to be there so often! They needed a long ruler for the sewing area and a white board in the library to show the date the books should be returned.
AND I led an inmate to Christ! Good day!
May 22, 2026 – Every day is busy! Today with John, Solome, and Diana, our librarian, we restocked our library in Kings College Budo, which is the most prestigious high school in Uganda. Afterwards, I was invited to address the faculty.
May 24, 2026 – Pictures coming in from Kenya of our libraries.
June 2, 2026 – Happy faces!
June 5, 2026 – Muluku Prison now has even more books. We filled up all the shelves this year. When I was there over 250 books had been borrowed.
June 12, 2026 – Thankful for pictures of my Texas team’s amazing work as they prepare books for 2027. The bright stickers are names of receiving schools.
June 13, 2026 – If you need some morning porridge you should get a green cup!
June 16, 2026 – So appreciate Joseph who visits and oversees our libraries in Kenya each month. He loves to joke so we have a good time when I’m in Kenya with him as we visit libraries, as well as his family.
June 17, 2026 – Last of 23 libraries restocked yesterday. Over 13,000 total new or like new hardback books were shipped from Texas. The books were distributed to different libraries and organized with each receiving libraries previous books.
June 19, 2026 – Sharing books …
Libraries of Love Africa 