Council Programs

First Visit Books book give-away with Rotary

Newest Outreach program: Children’s books for a small rural community in Uganda

Honey Halpern
posted September 2008

I think I can safely say that everyone reading this newsletter is fortunate enough to take the purchase of books or the borrowing of books from a public library for granted. And I can also say that we know that this is not the situation for too many children in our global village. In conversation with Juliet Tembe while she was a doctoral candidate in Literacy Education at UBC, and now back home and teaching in Kampala, Uganda, I learned about the rural village where she gathered her data and how much she would like to give back to these people who were so welcoming, by helping them start a community library for the children and young people.

I approached the BCLCIRA executive with Juliet’s request and it was agreed by all that this is a worthwhile cause and one that we would like to support by paying for the postage.

I am now actively seeking gently used paperback books for children.. If you are attending the Provincial Fall conference in Kelowna or the LOMCIRA Fall Conference in Vancouver, please give your donation to any member of the executive. But if you have books to donate now, please email me, hhalpern(at)interchange.ubc.ca, and we’ll figure out how to get them to me. Any number of books, a small amount or a large amount would be suitable.

On behalf of the children who will receive your books, many grateful thanks.