Read With Malaika

Thank you to the Réseau des Journalistes Amis de l’Enfant, RJAE-Junior for celebrating International Children’s Book Day with us!

J.I du livre pour Enfants : les Juniors du RJAE Sud-Kivu découvrent la Bibliothèque américaine « Read with Malaika » - Labeur Info 95 L’humanité a célébré ce mardi 02 Avril 2024 la journée internationale du livre pour Enfants. A Bukavu, dans la province du Sud-Kivu, à l’Est de la Rd Congo, des enfants encadrés au sein du Réseau des Journalistes Amis de l’Enfant, RJAE-Junior, ont visité la Bibliothèque américain...

Watch this reel by readwithmalaika on Instagram julieevisnes • Original Audio

Hi everyone, we’re writing with an update on Malaika’s library.

We’ve unpacked the boxes of books and organized them on the shelves of the library. We conducted a pilot program with the library in recent weeks and we’ve received feedback from kids in the community that they would like some English language teaching sessions in addition to access to the library. The language of instruction at schools in the area is French, so kids want some English language and reading skills to take full advantage of the great books you all donated! We’ve also heard that kids are interested in science, both books and hands on activities.

Many of you have asked if there’s ways to contribute, and we are so grateful. Here’s some of the things we’re needing if you’re interested and able:

1.Book donations.
We are continuing to receive donated books. If you have books in good condition for kids ages infant through high school that you’re looking to offload, please consider sending them to the following address where we will keep them until we have sufficient volume to ship a container. Of note, books in French or Swahili also will be helpful as we have a section of the library for these books.

63295 Johnson Ranch Road
Bend, OR 97701

We also have an amazon wish list here:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1SADY9348IKMJ?ref_=wl_share

2.Classroom and science lab supplies
If you have any classroom supplies in good condition that might be helpful including science lab equipment and tools, or art supplies, this would be useful.
We’ve added some to the above amazon wish list above including kids’ microscopes, telescope, binoculars.

3.Kids laptop computers
We are looking for 10-15 laptop computers and tablets that are easy for kids to use that could be used for online learning, learning basic computer skills, and reading electronic books. We listed some that would be suitable in the amazon wishlist.

4.Funds to help finish setting up the library and a classroom
We’ve set up a gofundme to help with expenses of furnishing a classroom just adjacent to the library space that we’ll use for English classes. Tables, chairs, board, lighting, etc. Any contribution will help.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-malaika-set-up-a-childrens-library-in-congo?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

5.Volunteers
We need native English speakers who are interested in volunteering to help read to kids and teach English to help out. As we are covering all operational expenses out of pocket, we don’t have funds to assist with travel from outside eastern Congo, but can help arrange lodging in Bukavu. If any native English speakers are willing to help on site for at least one month at a time, please let us know! Once we can get internet and a monitor, we will look into remote zoom conferencing for reading books too.

Once again, thank you all for your support and interest in Malaika’s library project. It’s very exciting to watch it take shape, and make this dream come true to positively impact kids in Bukavu!

Best,
Ali, Lucy, Malaika

Help Malaika set up a children's library in Congo, organized by Lucy Doyle We are raising funds to help set up a children’s library and English lea… Lucy Doyle needs your support for Help Malaika set up a children's library in Congo

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.

What do you do with an idea?

Do you ignore it, or do you nurture it and let it grow?

We love this book, gifted to Read With Malaika and we are so grateful.

And when this library started out as an idea a year ago we never imagined we would be seeing it come to fruition. Thank you to everyone for supporting Malaika’s idea!

Read With Malaika’s library yesterday before and after we started unpacking boxes of books and putting them on shelves!

When your little sister helps unpack library books and takes a break to read on some boxes!

Fearless leader? Check.
Boxes of books? Check.

Ready to get this library started!

Who’s ready to Read With Malaika?

Books to get started with are here in Bukavu, we are building shelves, and this girl is leading it.

This picture sums up the exhale and jump for joy we all felt to finally get the first shipment of books here!

Great news! The books that you all gave our daughter Malaika to start her library have finally arrived!

These books have quite an incredible story. Long post... best to read with a map:)

Almost one year ago Malaika decided to start a library for kids here in Bukavu, DRC, who want to learn English. So many of you sent us books to Malaika's grandparents' house in the US and help with shipping costs. We packed a pallet of books for shipment to Congo last April. The European shipping company we contracted with then delayed for two months and then LOST the books in California. Luckily they were found several weeks later and eventually shipped.

Finally they arrived to the Kenyan coast in November. We were told by the shipping company that the books departed Kenya en route to the border point between Rwanda and DRC closest to us in mid-December. We were so excited!

On December 21 the agent in Europe confirmed the books were due to arrive and gave us the driver's number, Ali called the driver only to find that the driver already dropped off all the books as he had been instructed... to a border point with Uganda north of Lake Albert, far north from us, closer to South Sudan than to here! We were given no documentation of delivery or evidence of who had the books. Furthermore, the area they delivered the books to is one of the most insecure in DRC, without safely accessible roads from there to here. So much closer to here than the US, but still a world away. Our hearts sank.

Undeterred, Ali went to work, spending hours on the phone investigating and negotiating. He followed multiple leads for weeks to locate the cargo in a dépôt in a border town. As there is no secure route to bring the books from that area to here within DRC, we had to figure out a plan to get the books here. We were ultimately able to get them to Goma. Ali met the books there and then transported all the boxes with him on the overnight boat across Lake Kivu to Bukavu.

They arrived at dawn on a school day. We got the kids ready for school and drove to the port to see the books we have all put our heart and soul into and waited so long for!

Although it is the rainy season here, it rarely rains in the morning.
But that morning it poured!
We waited under umbrellas for about an hour for the downpour to lighten enough to safely carry boxes off the boat and into a car, and finally they are at the space we are preparing now for the library! Malaika is beyond excited and will have some updates to post soon for you!

Many people asked us last year why we don't just buy books here rather than ship them from the US. Well, this story illustrates a bit of why. There simply aren't books to buy here for a library. There is no postal system in DRC. The few books that are available are extraordinarily expensive. Because it is this hard to get books here. And this is one reason why there is a need for a library to improve access to books for kids.

Thank you all for your support in this project. These books have come a long way and have had quite a journey around the world to get here. We are so grateful they made it. They will give Malaika a start to creating the library she dreams of and surely will be well-used! Stay tuned!