Children need books
Helping the children
The need for books
God's call to Hilda Bromley
God's call to Hilda Bromley
The Ghana Library Authority funds about 60 libraries in the major towns of Ghana. Most rural areas do not have libraries and many rural schools lack textbooks. There is a great need for well organized and stocked libraries, with reading activities to encourage and enhance reading skills. Without educational opportunities in the rural areas, families move to overcrowded cities where urban poverty is common.
God's call to Hilda Bromley
God's call to Hilda Bromley
God's call to Hilda Bromley
In 1996 while Hilda Bromley was recovering from surgery for a brain tumor, she visited a library with her husband Kirt. "Go build me a library was the call she her from God. Hilda and Kirt understood this to mean, "Build me a library in your hometown of Kukurantumi, Ghana." From that time, the Bromleys began to collect books. In the summers of 1997 and 1998, they shipped over 12,000 books to Ghana and built a library to house them.
Libraries for rural Ghana
God's call to Hilda Bromley
Libraries for rural Ghana
Soon after setting up the library in Kukurantumi, Ghana, the Bromleys were asked to set up libraries in neighboring towns. Using a developmental model, the Bromleys asked the local community to provide the building, furniture and salary for the librarian, and they provided as many books as the library had shelves (minimum 3000 books).
64 libraries since 1997
64 libraries since 1997
Libraries for rural Ghana
Books for Africa Library Project has shipped over 350,000 books to Ghana, and set up 64 libraries in rural areas. Local people were trained as librarians, and each library was set up to be managed by a local Board of Trustees.
Ongoing support
64 libraries since 1997
Focus on the Climate
Since 2000, Books For Africa Library Project has hosted an annual inservice for librarians. Presentations have been given on establishing Reading Clubs and Reading Contests to enhance the effectiveness of the library in reaching students. This year we donated over $200 worth of locally published books to each of the 16 libraries which sent their representatives for the in-service. Our in-service include best practices in librarianship and discussion of the challenges which face librarians in the rural areas of Ghana.
Focus on the Climate
64 libraries since 1997
Focus on the Climate
The Climate Crisis is affecting every nation on the planet. We are all inter-connected. Ghana's largest city Accra, the Capital, is right on the Atlantic coast. The rise in sea level due to Global Warming will affect it. Other concerns are deforesation, water pollution, removal of trash and hazardous waste and removal of topsoil for construction. All of these threats were covered at our annual in-service. In addition, each library will receive at least $200 worth of locally written and published novels and textbooks. We continued to train the librarians in reading diagnostic tools so that they could address some of the reading challenges of their student patrons.