Libraries Across Africa

Global Giving has been extremely successful at providing the seed funding to get the LAA idea developed sufficiently to go to market.  Thanks to all who have helped make that possible!  The LAA team feels that we have reached the point where we are ready to launch and are, at this moment, organizing an effort to...

The most significant advancement in LAA over the last quarter of 2011 was traveling to Accra and confirming that it is indeed the ideal launch location. After a rigorous vetting process, Ghana emerged as the market to launch (surpassing Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya). Two LAA representatives visited Accra on a...

LAA is preparing to send two representatives from the team to Ghana Nov 19-27 to work face-to-face with our partners on the ground and document potential sites for the pilot library.  Stay tuned for a post-trip update in a couple weeks...

Hi all, Some recent updates from Libraries Across Africa: 1) LAA wins Best Innovation Leveraging Technology Award for the Dell Social Innovation Competition.  This award came with a $10,000 prize in addition to a $2,000 technology gift and a student fellowship for Kevin Simmons (one of our MBAs) to a business...

Libraries Across Africa is still in a period of rapid development.  A quick list of project updates:  - LAA is a semi-finalist for the $50,000 Dell Social Innovation Competition.  - LAA is also a semi-finalist for $25,000 Grinnell Fellowship. - Team has expanded to ten, and now covers IT development,...

Some recent updates from LAA: First of all, please check out the LAA promo video done by our good friend Richie Gelles: http://www.vimeo.com/16103789   SEPTEMBER: - Thanks to all that helped make the Evoke Challenge fundraising drive a huge success.  LAA placed FIRST in two of the three...

I want to offer my sincere thanks to all who helped make the August fundraising drive a success. By achieving our goal of $3,000 we’ve secured an extended relationship with GlobalGiving, which is an important step in the early stages in this project’s development. One contribution in particular stuck me as...

LAA has continued to experience a strong showing of support for the August fundraising drive and is still on course to make its goal of $3,000. Reaching this benchmark will allow us to remain an ongoing member of the GlobalGiving network. When the drive ends at the end of August there are three major incentives in...

Frequently Asked Questions Over the last few weeks many of the friends of LAA have submitted interesting and provocative questions that will undoubtedly influence the way we precede over the next several months. Here is a brief set of issues that have been raised and our current thinking. PLEASE feel free to COMMENT...

LAA had a fantastic first week of fundraising and THANK YOU to everyone who contributed comments and donations! In addition to financial support, many people came forward connections and resources that are every bit as valuable as a donation. This was a totally unexpected and welcome phenomenon. PLEASE KEEP THESE...

LAA has recruited Judd Swanson, an architect/anthropologist for research dealing with how people in various African nations historically hold and pass on information, what kind of an approach would honor those traditions, how those trends differ in regionally, and how that affect the concept of a ʻlibraryʼ. Mr....