Author: Eddie

Despite Covid-19 lockdowns and no school for most students, we accomplished our mission of restocking schools and providing our first prison libraries. Malukhu Men’s and Women’s Prisons, and the Remand Center (juvenile detention) libraries are a success! The first evening, 72 books were borrowed at the men’s. When I walked in the Remand Center and men’s prison the next day, the floors were full with men and youth reading. Changing lives!

The following reports were provided by Executive Director Trudy Marshall, who lives in Uganda six months each year.  

We did it despite pandemic …

We did it. With the help of librarians and sponsored students, we restocked 10 libraries and created one new library. It was an major effort to get the 13,000 books distributed in Kampala, Mukono, Jinja, and Mbale without the volunteers who normally travel from the U.S. to help. Plus, transportation was shut down as part of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Approximately 22,450 students received hundreds of new books in their libraries, and 2,000 students received a library for the first time. Unfortunately, the children won’t be able to enjoy the books until schools reopen, the timing of which has not been decided by the government.

We have been locked down in Uganda for months. Thanks to those who sponsor and donate we have been able to provide money for food each month to our 48 sponsored students’ families and 47 librarians. You can read more about this in our July newsletter.

We are excited and proud to say that more than 100,000 students have had access to books in our libraries since the first Library of Love was created at Namirembe Primary School in Kampala in 2005.

We are so thankful for all the supporters who donated books and funding, and special thanks to volunteers who gave their time to make this happen again this year. God bless you one and all. Special thanks to board member Jim Matthews for overseeing the shipping.

March 2 – This truck arrived in Round Rock, Texas, to pick up our books being sent to Uganda this year. Libraries of Love will provide three new libraries and restock 13. The truck will now go to Houston to load the container on a ship! Thank you Jim Matthews for arranging the shipping! From 2005 to 2020, 224,104 hardback new or like new books have been shipped for our 48 school libraries – all with Dewey spine labels and pockets and cards for borrowing. Incredible!

March 7 – These 36 librarians gathered in Mbale town from eight cities in Uganda. Eight also arrived from Kenya. This Libraries of Love “family” had two great days of learning how to encourage student reading, creative ways to teach students the organization of the library, and the importance of giving positive reinforcement by showing God’s love to their students. Throw in some amazing singing and the meeting was highly successful.

Libraries of Love has a container on its way across the ocean on a ship like this one. The container, which is carrying thousands of books, presents many challenges because of the lockdown. It is scheduled to arrive at the port in Kenya on the 20th, and then journey on to Uganda. Approximately, 22,450 students will receive hundreds of new books in their libraries, with 2,000 students receiving a library for the first time. Thankfully, we have worked with a trusted customs agent for many years, so I am in touch with him. Praying all goes well.

*****

April 20 – Our container has arrived in Mombasa, Kenya. It will be offloaded, loaded on to a semi-truck, then travel to the border of Kenya and Uganda for customs clearance. They are now checking truck drivers for COVID-19 at the border, so that may take time. When we clear, it is designated to unload at a school. I am six hours away from the school and there is no travel allowed in Uganda by car or bus. Thankful I have been here many years and have good contacts. It will happen!

May 5 – Our shipment arrived safely – all 320 boxes! It took the coordination of several wonderful people, as we are still on lockdown with no cars or other public transport allowed to move. Those who unloaded had to walk to the school. Our LOL coordinator rented a bike and rode endless miles to arrive. Special thanks to Herbert Segujja, our coordinator and John Kisitu, our amazing customs agent.

May 28 – Thanks to the incredible volunteers in Texas who prepared thousands of books.

 

Next, the boxes were filled with each receiving school’s name placed on the outside of the box, along with the type of books in the box – Easy (E), Fiction (F) or Non-fiction (NF). The boxes in Kampala have now been distributed. Monday morning we will pack a truck and deliver boxes to libraries in Mukono, Jinja, and Mbale.

 

A HUGE thanks to all the publishing companies, groups, and individuals who donated books!

 

 

Libraries of Love is set up legally to provide libraries – which is our focus, but also to provide humanitarian assistance if needed. As I leave my village each day for a three mile walk, I tuck some funding from donors, as well as some of my own funds, in my jeans. As I see women, such as these, hoeing gardens in the hot sun, I slip them some money for food. After I had given these ladies food money, I turned back to look. They were jumping up and down hugging each other.

 

May God bless our donors. Your help has made a difference!

 

All 320 boxes containing approximately 13,000 books have now been distributed to 18 schools. Each book is a new or like new hardback book, complete with a Dewey spine label for organization, and a pocket and card for borrowing. We are so grateful for those who donate these incredible books.
It’s time to start to putting beautiful, organized libraries together!

Kasubi Primary has been restocked with 533 new books. All the books on the shelves had to come off and be organized with the new books. I’m thankful for this wonderful group that spent the day working to bless the children of Kasubi.

We took more than 5,000 books off the shelves and then mixed in hundreds of new books to create a beautiful, organized library for Buganda Road Primary. So much work, but what a blessing for the students! The Ugandan government doesn’t provide such libraries, so we are thankful for all those who help make this happen.

June  9th  is Hero’s Day in Uganda. I would like to give a shout to all of those who have stepped in to take the place of our team that couldn’t come this year. As I have organized libraries, we have been joined by assistant principals, teachers (two on top left), our librarians, the Ononge family, and Herbert Segujja, who works with Libraries of Love. Making a difference – my heroes!

Library No. 6 for 2020, Wambwa Primary, was restocked with 1,107 books. We provided this library in 2009. Great job Monica (librarian), Sam and Juma (college students who I refer to as double trouble) and Tony my boda driver!

Libraries of Love only puts hardback books in our libraries. This year, we did send some paperback and board books to give away. I (Trudy) had to smile as I was walking to town and spotted this little one with her book!

This is just one side of the room in the new library provided by Libraries of Love at Musoto Christian Primary, located in the village where our executive director lives while in Uganda. A total of 3,062 books were organized and are ready for use when schools reopen.

We added 1,081 new books the Light Academy Primary library. Great displays in this library. The librarian had students fill in the ‘person’ outline, to share about themselves. She also read the students non-fiction books in the library. From those books, students filled in venn diagrams comparing fruits and vegetables, and also the sun and moon. Librarian / teacher – perfect! 

It’s a wrap!

This amazing group – with the assistance of missionary Liz Ingram – worked for endless hours sorting approximately 9,000 books and placing them on shelves by subject matter for non-fiction and author for fiction. So, it’s June 29, and it’s a wrap for the 2020 libraries. Only librarian training remains.

Books have arrived in Uganda
Year 15! We are so excited the shipment has arrived and so thankful for all the supporters who donated books and funding, and special thanks to volunteers who gave their time to make this happen again this year. The shipment of 13,000+ new or like-new hardback books made the two-month trip from Texas and will make their way into 13 schools – 3 new libraries and 10 to be restocked. God bless you one and all. Special thanks to board member Jim Matthews for overseeing the shipping.

Books arrive in Uganda, get unloaded and distributed to schools.

Our first restock of 2019 is at Zion Primary. An army general drove me the three hours to the school. It was a long but good day. The library looks great. The teachers were there, but the kids were on break, so the teachers helped organize the books.

45 Libraries. 65 sponsored students attending school. 6 college graduates. I love the scope of Libraries of Love which covers education and humanitarian needs. Pictured are some of our sponsored students in Kampala.

Two awesome days with 30 amazing librarians from 7 cities! The first day was fellowship. Today we had library training all day. One learning game was Dewey Bingo. It was the first time they had played bingo! They loved it. So, of course, I had to launch into…’There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o,’ (though it had nothing to do with playing bingo:). There was lots of laughs as we sang.

Today we enjoyed adding several hundred books to our library in the African Children’s Choir school. They were especially happy to receive the African themed books from our list on Amazon. These kids are avid readers! Pictured are: Joseph who works with Libraries of Love, Hope- the librarian at ACC, and Joseph the headteacher (principal).

Today we restocked Bat Valley Primary, which was provided in 2007. Libraries of Love never leaves a library. Libraries are restocked as needed, and librarian training is continuous. The library looked fresh.

Amazing first night for the team. We had a great time with Juma and Santos – two of our sponsored, plus Pastor Cephas, Claire, and their children – Vessel, Temple, Zipporah, and the twins. Juma and Santos shared their stories of how sponsorship changed their lives, and the Pastor and Claire shared the miracle of the twins birth. Also, we had a good time singing. 

This team is incredible. They restocked Kings College-Budo in record time — with help from their friends. Impressive!

Our library we restocked today at Kings College is housed in a beautiful church built in the twenties. It looks like churches in Europe. We provided this library in 2010.

Intense work with a beautiful outcome! Go team go! Three new libraries provided, four previous libraries restocked! (June 13)

Amazing reading competition between Libraries of Love secondary schools today. Meet Harriet Tubman, Cleopatra, and Barack Obama. This category was to read a book about someone you considered a hero, dress up as that person, and give a book summary.

The team enjoyed sports day at Namirembe Primary School. They were very popular with the kids. 🙂

One more beautiful library completed!

Need more vinyl flooring? Then go get some on a boda, what they call their motorcycle taxis here.

A Boda driver I used today badly needed some new shoes. I am forever grateful to those who donate to make these good deeds possible. Libraries of Love: more than just books … spreading sunshine.

The 2019 team had a great time playing games, reading stories, and singing with many of our sponsored in Mbale.

One of our librarians reading to her class! Sweet!

Time to say goodbye to this wonderful team. They have accomplished so much and were a blessing to many. We are going for an evening of worship at the Africans Children’s Choir and then off to the airport!