Partner Voices: Ernest in Ghana
Beyond Arrival: What Sustains Partnerships and Access to Libraries
For more than a decade, Ernest Ankomah Kyeremeh and the Michael Lapsley Foundation have been a dedicated African Library Project partner in Ghana. Their partnership began in 2010, with their first container of books arriving in 2011 — and since then, they have played a central role in ensuring that books do not simply arrive in-country but reach the schools and community libraries our partners work alongside.
We joyfully celebrate when books arrive and when schools and communities receive their libraries — the letters, photos, and stories are deeply meaningful to our entire community. What often goes unseen is an important chapter in between: the journey from the port to the schools, where ALP partners manage the full in-country process that transitions book donations into active, sustainable libraries.
For partners like Ernest, this means overseeing container clearance, customs processes, inland transportation, warehousing, sorting and organizing book donations, coordinating school and community collections, and teacher-librarian training — all essential steps that transform donated books into accessible school and community libraries. Rooted in partnership, ALP coordinates book collection and shipment from the U.S., while partners lead the in-country implementation once shipments arrive. Through this shared model, the foundation has managed local responsibilities so that schools and communities can expand access to books and strengthen their libraries.
The Often-Unseen Cost of Access
This shared model also carries real operational and financial responsibilities once shipments arrive in-country. Even after books reach the port, there are required costs before they can be received, organized, and made accessible in schools and community libraries. Clearing a single container can cost approximately $4,500 to $5,900, reflecting the resources required to move books from arrival to library use.
In recent years, taxes and policy changes — including the application of VAT (Value Added Tax) on educational materials in Ghana — have further increased these costs, adding new financial considerations to an already involved coordination effort.
Investment That Runs Deep
Ernest’s commitment to this work is steady and sustained. On two occasions, he personally covered container-related expenses out of pocket to ensure that books could be cleared and delivered when unexpected financial challenges arose.
He stepped in with a clear sense of responsibility to the partnership and the process, ensuring continuity so that schools and communities awaiting their libraries could still receive them.
That level of ownership reflects something deeply meaningful about ALP’s partnership model: our partners are not only implementing programs — they are co-builders of sustainable, community-rooted libraries.
When Rising Costs Impact Access to Literacy
Over time, the rising costs associated with clearance, taxes, and logistics have had real operational implications. Most recently, these financial pressures led Ernest’s team to make the difficult decision to step back from participating in the 2026 book drive cycle, despite continued interest from schools and communities.
This does not reflect a lack of commitment.
It reflects what is required — in coordination and resources — to move books from port to library shelf.
How Giving to the General Fund Sustains Partnerships and Access
(And What It Actually Makes Possible)
Stories like Ernest’s highlight the full partnership required to move from shipment to sustained library access.
ALP’s General Fund is how we provide this kind of year-round support. It allows resources to be directed where they are most needed across the full library journey — so that we can stand alongside partners as they navigate operational responsibilities, rising costs, and evolving realities in-country.
At ALP, libraries begin with the extraordinary leadership, time, and resources invested by Book Drive Organizers and their communities. They are sustained through the continued commitment of partners who manage clearance, coordination, training, and local implementation once shipments arrive.
The General Fund strengthens this shared model by supporting partners in-country while honoring the significant effort and planning that Book Drive Organizers contribute long before a library is ever shipped.
In this way, support to the General Fund reinforces the shared investment that defines ALP’s work.
Support the Full Library Journey
The General Fund allows ALP to remain responsive, reinforce long-standing partnerships, and ensure that the time, resources, and care invested across the entire ALP community result in fully established, accessible libraries.
A gift to the General Fund today helps sustain partners like Ernest and ensures that books move from port to shelf — and into the hands of children ready to read.
Make a gift to the General Fund to continue supporting ALP partners, like Ernest, and help sustain the full library journey: https://www.africanlibraryproject.org/donate