Start A Library Trust

04/09/2026

Children are growing up in a world where knowing what is safe and what isn't matters more than ever. But how do we prepare them for situations they may not yet know how to recognize?

Jesse recently shared that his favourite book in the library is The Lollipop Stranger. When asked what the story has taught him, he says, quite simply, that he should not accept gifts from strangers. This is a reminder of why children need access to books that speak to different parts of their lives and the world around them.

Stories can give children opportunities to think about things they may encounter in life such as safety, trust, boundaries, relationships, difficult choices and knowing when to speak to someone they trust.

And these are not conversations we can afford to leave to chance. Between January 2025 and March 2026, Kenya recorded 1,952 child abduction cases and 1,636 cases involving missing children. Globally, children accounted for 38% of detected trafficking victims in 2022.

Helping children understand the world around them is a shared responsibility. Parents, relatives, teachers and communities all have a role to play. So does ensuring that children have access to books that introduce them to these important conversations.

This is why we do what we do to make sure more children have access to books that help them read, think, explore and understand the world around them. And we cannot do it alone.

If you believe every child deserves access to the right books, we invite you to support us in making that possible. Reach out to us at [email protected] for partnerships or give a learner access to books by donating here: https://give-usa.keela.co/start-a-library-donate-page

Library Aid Africa CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL ALUMNI KBC Channel 1 TV Mama Hope Gratitude Network Akili Dada Rainbow Room Foundation

03/09/2026

Lexy has always wanted to become a doctor.

Now in Grade 7 at City Primary School, she has spent the past five years reading books from the school library and finding ones that help her learn more about the career she hopes to pursue.

Her favourite is Matter. Lexy says the book has helped her understand more about how to engage with patients in a hospital, something she hopes will be useful when she becomes a doctor.

What stands out is that Lexy already knows what she wants to become. The library simply gives her more opportunities to read, ask questions and learn about the world she hopes to enter.

And Lexy is one of many.

Across Kenya, there are children with their own dreams of who they would like to become. Access to the right books can help them learn more about those interests and give them knowledge they can carry with them as they grow.

You can help make that access possible.

For Ksh 500 ($3.86), you can adopt a learner by purchasing a book that could help them discover something new about the future they are already dreaming about.

Donate here to make that possible: https://give-usa.keela.co/start-a-library-donate-page

Kenya Connect Rainbow Room Foundation Masana wa Afrika Gratitude Network CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL ALUMNI Goethe-Institut Nairobi The Library of Congress

02/09/2026

Your community is your resource.

This is one of the things our partnership with The New Africa Fund has taught us and it has changed the way we look at the communities we work with.

We have always believed that communities should be at the heart of the work. But through our partnership with NAF, we began to look beyond seeing communities simply as recipients. We started asking: what resources, ideas and possibilities are already within the community?

We had the opportunity to put this into practice through a matching fund campaign for a library. We went back to our community to raise funds, and in just 30 days, they came through with $12,863.

The New Africa Fund matched what we raised, and together, we established library #319 at Nzou Muonza Comprehensive School.

That changed something for us.

It showed us what can happen when communities are trusted to contribute to the solutions they need, and when a funder is willing to come alongside what is already happening rather than simply bringing the resources in.

There is much more to this story, and we are glad to share it in The New Africa Fund’s latest grantee spotlight.

Follow our journey with New Africa Fund and watch the full story on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AvPF1wjoRC8?feature=shared

Library Aid Africa Gratitude Network Kenya Connect Rainbow Room Foundation The Nobelity Project GO Campaign The Library of Congress Masana wa Afrika

Kick off International Literacy Month with us! We sat down with Eve...

01/09/2026

Happy International Literacy Month!

September is buzzing with fun literacy activities! This year, we are celebrating Literacy for People, the Planet and Prosperity by taking the celebration into schools.

From 7th- 11th September, we will be in schools reading with the children, telling stories, spelling words and getting together through book clubs. It will be a whole week of fun and learning.

Come join us as we put literacy into action!

Rongo University The Library of Congress CivFund CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL ALUMNI Masana wa Afrika Mama Hope

31/08/2026

Every year, we turn away book donations. On purpose.

Sounds strange for a literacy nonprofit to say no to free books, right? Let us explain.

Our libraries are stocked entirely with locally authored storybooks with Kenyan names, Kenyan streets and typical Kenyan grandmothers telling stories by the fire. Give a child a choice between one of those and an imported book, and they'll reach for the local one nearly every time.

Here's why it matters more than we first realized: a child who's never seen snow has to stop and imagine what a snowstorm even feels like. But a child who's ridden in a matatu, or grown up on their grandmother's stories, doesn't have to imagine anything. They already know it.

That difference shows up everywhere. They pick up new words faster because they're not decoding an unfamiliar world and unfamiliar language at the same time. They understand the story better because half of it is already familiar. And something quieter happens too, a child who sees their own life reflected in a book starts to believe their life is worth telling. A few of them grow up wanting to write the next one.

So when we're offered donations that don't meet that bar, we say no — even the generous, well-meaning ones. A full shelf was never the goal. A child who opens a book and sees home is.

What's a Kenyan storybook you grew up loving? Tell us in the comments

Kenya Connect CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL ALUMNI GO Campaign Wangari -The Storyteller The Nobelity Project Akili Dada Gratitude Network

27/08/2026

Sometimes, all a child needs is the right storybook, the right space, and the right support at the right time to begin seeing their world and what is possible for them differently. That is the transformative power of a school library.

But creating and sustaining these spaces takes all of us, people willing to invest their resources, give their time and expertise, share their skills, or simply use their voice to champion every child’s right to read.

The School Library Intervention Program (SLIP) is bringing people together to support strengthen school libraries and create spaces where children can read, learn, discover and dream.

Whether you’re a teacher, parent, student, volunteer, book lover, professional, or simply someone who believes every child deserves access to books, there’s a place for you.

Come with what you have: your time, skills, resources, networks or passion. It will make a lasting difference in a child’s reading journey.

Sign up today: slip.libraryaidafrica.org
Deadline: 30 August 2026

When we invest in school libraries, we invest in children and what becomes possible for them.

Library Aid Africa Kenya Connect Akili Dada EdTech East Africa Gratitude Network King Baudouin Stadium GO Campaign Human Practice Foundation Rainbow Room Foundation

27/08/2026

The world is giving children more information than ever before. The bigger question is: are we giving them the skills to make sense of it?

Think about what a child encounters in a single day. A headline, a TikTok video, a WhatsApp message, something a friend says. Information is everywhere, and children are learning to navigate it long before we expect them to.

Not everything they see or hear is true. Some information is misleading. Some is created to persuade them. So being able to read is no longer enough.

Children need to understand what they are reading, ask questions about it, look at different perspectives and decide what to believe. This is why we see literacy as more than learning to read and write.

Through our libraries and literacy programmes, we are helping children build the reading skills and confidence they need to keep learning, think critically and navigate an increasingly complex world.

This is critical because the children developing these skills today will become the adults making decisions tomorrow.

Investing in literacy is, ultimately, investing in the people who will shape our families, communities, workplaces and economy.

CivFund Masana wa Afrika Library Aid Africa EdTech East Africa The Nobelity Project

26/08/2026

Imagine picking up a book as a child and, a few years later, seeing your own story in one.

10 years ago, the library at Lower Kabete Primary School was opened in partnership with Afetsi Awoonor, giving learners a space to discover the joy of reading.

Today, children are still making the most of it.

They are reading, getting better at understanding what they read and using those skills across different subjects. They are taking part in spelling bees, anagram challenges and read-aloud activities.

And then, they started writing their own stories.

Today, 21 storybooks co-authored by Lower Kabete learners have been published on Amazon.

That's why we don't just want children to have access to books.We want to see what they do with that opportunity.

Want to give more learners in public primary schools the chance to read, create and tell their own stories?

Reach out to us at [email protected]



Kenya Connect GO Campaign Goethe-Institut Nairobi Libraries Without Borders US The Library of Congress

25/08/2026

Give a girl a book, a voice, and room to lead, and watch what she builds.

Over eight months, 180 learners across Dandora, Farasi Lane and Kongoni took part in the Imarisha Clubs, girl-led reading circles, mentorship, life skills sessions and home-reading support built around one belief: girls already have what it takes to lead. They just need the platform.

What the numbers don't fully capture is this: girls who joined the clubs as readers are now the ones leading discussion circles in their schools — shaping how their peers see reading, and how they see themselves.

None of this happened by accident. It took consistent access to books, mentors who showed up, parents who leaned in, and teachers equipped to keep it going.

Read the full report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10ObEnrcpz22YydmLnPgTsEIceggNAyQs/view?usp=sharing

It worked in three schools. Help us bring it to the next one: https://give-usa.keela.co/start-a-library-donate-page

GO Campaign Masana wa Afrika Rainbow Room Foundation Kenya Connect Rongo University Library Aid Africa Standard Digital Libraries Without Borders US Nation Media Group

24/08/2026

A new school term is another opportunity to build the skills children need for life. Foundational literacy is at the heart of that journey.

When children have regular opportunities to read, listen, ask questions, express themselves and engage with stories, they are developing more than reading skills. They are building confidence, communication, critical thinking, creativity and the ability to understand and navigate the world around them.

A well-supported school library creates space for children to practise these skills beyond the structured classroom lesson — at their own pace, through reading, discussion, exploration and play.

As schools reopen across Kenya, we’re looking forward to continuing to create library spaces that support children not only to read better, but to think, communicate and participate more confidently in life.

Teachers Service Commission Updates Human Practice Foundation The Nobelity Project School Librarians Association of Kenya -SLAK Kenya Connect Rongo University