By Lee Koelzer | Director
As you know, we currently have eight libraries scattered around Uganda, and it takes money to keep them running! In addition to donations, we have also started a "Read So They Can' program where we buy and sell books with the profit margin going to our libraries.
We buy used books for 3,000ush- or about $0.70 each and then re-sell the books for 6,000ush or about $1.40 each. We buy and sell the books in Kampala- the capital city of Uganda where there is a large expat population as well as a wide berth of middle and upper class Ugandans who are starting to embrace a reading culture. We buy books from individuals, schools, NGO's, bring them from overseas, and basically do everything in our power to ensure that we have a wide collection at all times. Yes- the books are kept seperately from the books demarcated for our libraries.
During the month of November, Game (a local department store) allowed us to sell our books outside their store and it was HUGELY successful. It was wonderful to see how many people were interested in the books and that well over 90% of our customers were Ugandan. It's extremely empowering knowing that if books are made both available and affordable, people here DO want the books, and they DO want a reading culture for themselves and their children.
In addition, donations play a huge part in keeping our libraries up and opperating, and we appreciate them beyond words. But know that we are also working hard on the ground here in Uganda, ensuring that our libraries can continue to opperate and expand.
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