Books For Africa and Better World Books Visit
In July, PEN Trust hosted ten guests from Books For Africa and Better World Books, based in Atlanta, GA. Better World Books is an online book seller and is the major financial contributor to BFA. The Executive Director, David Murphy and family along with several regional directors and warehouse managers came to see the process of book distribution. BFA selected PEN Trust to be the model non profit for their site visit. We are thankful for the continued support from BFA.
Before coming to Dodoma, we spent a day with the delegation in Zanzibar at Mtopepo Primary School participating in a handover of a container of books sponsored by USAID and the US Ambassador to Tanzania, Michael Retzer. We also visited the new and old buildings that house the Zanzibar Public Library.
While in Dodoma we distributed books to Msalato Girl’s Secondary School where Mungwe served as emcee in an interactive session with the girls and the guests. Books were also distributed to the Dodoma Public Library.
PEN Trust was finishing sorting books from their last 20 foot container, so the guests were able to see the process PEN goes through for book selection to individual schools.
Additional photos from the BFA/BWB visit:
Patrick Plonski, Executive Director of Books For Africa talking with the Director of Zanzibar and Pemba’s Public Libraries.
Students listening to the presentation at Mtopepo Primary School in Zanzibar.
US Ambassador to Tanzania, Michael Retzer and US AID Director, Pamela White listening to a thank you song sung by students.
We climbed Lion’s Rock to get a better view of Dodoma.
View of Dodoma from Lion’s Rock.
Mungwe mediated between the guests and the students at Msalato Secondary School. The BWB delegation had two high school students, so the girls had a good opportunity to learn what school and life is like for a teenager in the US firsthand.
Patrick displaying some of the books that PEN selected for their school. Msalato is a government funded charter school for Math and Sciences with top girls coming from all over the country of Tanzania.
We broke down into smaller groups so the students could be more comfortable asking questions and inspect some of their new books.
Dodoma Public Library also received books.
Books being handed over to the Head Librarian at the Dodoma Public Library.
Andrea explaining the process PEN uses to sort and categorize books for the various schools they distribute to.
After touring the PEN office and warehouse, the group was entertained by local Gogo dancers and drummers.
Local Gogo dancers.
Andrea and Asifiwe, the daughter of PEN employee, Rashidi Rajabu, enjoying the dancers.
The guest of honor for the farewell evening was the Deputy Minister of Finance, Honorable Abdisalam Issa Khatibu. He had arranged our session visit to the Tanzanian Parliament and had dinner with us and the guests on their last night. Patrick presented him with a Books For Africa t -shirt as a thank you gift.