HOUSTON – Do you have books sitting on your shelves that you’ve already read and don’t know what to do with them?
A Houston non-profit has the perfect solution. You can help them turn those unused books into valuable, life-changing resources.
Inside of a typical looking warehouse just east of Downtown Houston, volunteers with “Books for Development” gather every Saturday for a few hours to sort through donated books. They’re here to prepare them for a journey across the world that will help change lives across Central and East Africa.
What began as a church mission to supply books to one community in Uganda has transformed into a widespread initiative.
The Houston non-profit has shipped over two million books abroad, ensuring they meet the cultural and educational needs of the communities they serve.
“Those are two million books from Houston that would have ended up in a landfill,” said Peggy Burck, Executive President.
Burck said once the books arrive in Africa, volunteers from Houston travel overseas to these areas to quickly set up libraries. They’re often greeted by eager children, filled with curiosity.
“It typically takes two full days of working. and then, while it’s going on , the children are at the window, like this, trying to you know, get in or trying to reach in and borrow a book ahead of time. So, it’s a really fun and rewarding thing for our volunteers,” Burck said.
Over the past 12 years, they’ve established more than 200 in primary schools and community public libraries in villages throughout the region.
“The Ugandans, the Rwandans that are teaching their own children to do storytelling and writing. And in the reading, it all comes together and really just enhances the children’s lives so much to do it. You would not believe these shy children in the beginning. But once they’ve written the story and it’s presented to a group and the group applauds them, they come out with this new glow, this new confidence. I’ve seen grown adults sit down on the floor and just pick up a book and sit and read. Part of our model is trying to get the adults more involved in doing story time with the children because that really makes it a bonding experience and it sticks with the children if they can sit with their parents and read. So, that’s part of our challenge,” Burck said.
“Books for Development” is also collecting Spanish and French books. They have since expanded their reach into Belize, Guatemala, and Jamaica. If you’d like to donate books or volunteer, click here.
