Dear Friends ...
What a year! We started 139 new libraries in 2011 – now a total of 701 libraries since 2004. Here are some highlights...
- Our ALP African Partners Summit in Swaziland attracted 140 people from six countries. Thirteen ALP Board Members and other volunteers paid their own way to help produce a superb conference.
- Our amazing partners in Africa and their teacher-librarians work hard daily in a truly challenging landscape. They inspire us and make us proud.
- We will take all the learning about best practices from our 700+ libraries and publish our own librarian training manual that focuses on African rural library development.
- Of course, we will broaden our network of ALP volunteers to generate many more book drives in 2012. (Why not start a library yourself?)
I’m awestruck by what we are accomplishing through an all-volunteer, grassroots organization. Together, we recognize the power of literacy and put our compassion into action for those who need it most. I’m brimming with gratitude to all of our book drive organizers, book and money donors, board members, and volunteers. We really are changing lives, book by book!
In gratitude,
Chris
December, 2011
