Pages Across Continents: Our African Library Project Journey in Round Rock, Texas

[et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" hover_enabled="0" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0" custom_padding="40px|||||"][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" custom_margin="-47px||||false|false" hover_enabled="0" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]

Our journey with the African Library Project has been a powerful reminder of how much change can come from a small group of determined individuals. What started with a shared goal between three middle school students in Round Rock, Texas, became a mission to bring literacy and opportunity to children in rural Africa—one book, one box, one library at a time.

Planting the Seeds of Change
We’ve always recognized how fortunate we are to have easy access to books and education. But when we learned about the African Library Project and how many children in Africa lacked even basic reading materials, we knew we had to step up. The idea of starting a book drive was exciting, and also daunting. We were just a few students with a big dream. But that dream quickly took root.

A Community That Rallied Behind Us
We started our first book drive in 2021 by signing up to support a library in Ghana—G11-26: Bincheratanga JHS.

Collecting 1000 books seemed like a daunting task for a bunch of 12–13-year-olds, but our school and community rallied behind us. We began collecting books by spreading the word through local public schools, our city library, our neighborhood, local bookstores, and the response was amazing. Together, we collected over 1200 books—each one a new world of imagination, knowledge, and hope waiting to be opened by a young reader.

Sorting and packing these books in boxes was a labor of love. We learned how to organize them by genre and age group, making sure each box met the shipping guidelines. We labeled, taped, and packed with precision, knowing that these books were heading to students just like us—kids eager to learn, grow, and dream.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" column_structure="1_2,1_2" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0" custom_margin="0px||||false|false" custom_padding="0px||0px||false|false"][et_pb_column _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" type="1_2"][et_pb_image src="https://www.africanlibraryproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Across_seas_3.jpg" _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" title_text="Across_seas_3" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" type="1_2"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"]

Creative Fundraising: Turning Talent and Time into Impact
Raising money to ship the books presented a whole new challenge—and opportunity. We didn't want to rely on traditional fundraising alone, so we got creative.
We mowed lawns in our neighborhood, offered tutoring sessions, and even played music at community events to raise funds. Every dollar we earned brought us closer to our goal. It was hard work, but it was meaningful. And as we stood behind snack tables at local parks or performed under gazebos, we found that we weren’t just raising money—we were raising awareness.
These experiences showed us that passion, effort, and a bit of creativity could turn any skill into a force for good.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" custom_padding="10px||0px||false|false" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"][et_pb_column _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" custom_margin="0px||||false|false" custom_padding="0px||||false|false" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"]

From Our Hands to Theirs
The moment we dropped off our packed boxes at the post office was surreal. Watching them be weighed and labeled, knowing they were on their way to a school in South Africa, felt like the final step in one journey and the beginning of another. Those boxes carried not just books, but hope, opportunity, and a piece of our hearts.

Growth Beyond the Drive
What we didn’t expect was how much we would grow personally. We learned about logistics, communication, and perseverance. But more importantly, we saw the power of a shared mission and what it meant to serve something larger than ourselves.
As we continued this work, we realized it had the potential to go even further. We continued to sign up for more book drives. One by one, today our team has successfully completed 12 + book drives to start libraries in Lesotho, Uganda, Botswana, and Kenya!

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" column_structure="1_2,1_2"][et_pb_column _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" type="1_2"][et_pb_image src="https://www.africanlibraryproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Across_seas_4.jpg" _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" title_text="Across_seas_4" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" type="1_2"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"]

A Journey Across Borders and Years
Today, as high schoolers, we’ve begun mentoring local, younger students to take the torch forward. This continuity is what fuels our belief that lasting change comes from building momentum, year by year, student by student. We started a local club dedicated to expanding the African Library Project’s mission. The goal wasn’t just to host another book drive—it was to build a sustainable platform for literacy-focused service and to empower younger students to get involved and continue the mission for years to come.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" custom_padding="0px||0px||false|false" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"][et_pb_column _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" custom_margin="0px||||false|false" custom_padding="0px||0px||false|false" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"]

Through workshops, school announcements, and community meetings, we’re working to educate others about the global literacy gap and show them how they can help. Through our club, we now enroll younger students and mentor them to sign up for book drives, brainstorm ideas for them to raise funds, collect books, contribute ideas, and feel the same sense of impact we did when we started.

We’re building a structure that lasts: one where new leaders take the reins, and where awareness about educational inequality continues to grow. The mission isn’t finished—it’s just evolving.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" column_structure="1_2,1_2"][et_pb_column _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" type="1_2"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default"]

Here are our Founding Team members who started their first book drive in 2021 and formalized their efforts in 2024, by launching a club, “Literacy Across Seas,” to drive the mission to a broader and more impactful level.

• Rithvik Selvakumar
• Pranav Swatantran
• Siddharth Swatantran
• Rakshith Selvakumar

We’re proud of what we’ve done, and we’re even more excited for what comes next!

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" type="1_2"][et_pb_image src="https://www.africanlibraryproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Across_seas_2.jpg" _builder_version="4.22.0" _module_preset="default" title_text="Across_seas_2" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]