Children need books
Helping Rural Libraries in Africa
We continue to work with libraries in small towns and villages in Ghana. We meet with our partner librarians annually for an in-service, and donate African literature and textbooks to each library every year.
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
Would your library like to join us?
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).
Would your library like to join us?
Would your library like to join us?
Would your library like to join us?
We offer ongoing support to the libraries which we have set up. We also welcome new libraries to our Library Project. If your library would like to join us and receive ongoing support in the way of an annual donation of books, and in-service please contact us using the "Contact Us" form below. Please introduce yourself, give the names and phone numbers of your staff and Library Board of Trustees. Tell us of the history of the library, the number of books your library has, and the hours and days of operation. You will receive a reply from us.
64 libraries since 1997
Would your library like to join us?
64 libraries since 1997
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
Would your library like to join us?
64 libraries since 1997
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
Focus on the Climate
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 2023. At the in-service we prepared an 18 page document on the environment with pictures, which can be used in schools or libraries. Here is the link:
Help support the libraries in Ghana
Our annual budget pays for new books for partner libraries, visits to those libraries, expansion of a cultural library and our annual in-service for librarians.