Saturday 15th May - Back Home

Back home I reflect on the visit. Zimbabwe is still in limbo, waiting to see whether there will be genuine improvements, politically, economically and socially. It will take time for confidence to re-emerge, and whilst the 2000s were a welcome period of small but vital growth for most African countries, Zimbabwe went backwards. For most of its libraries, this has spelt an end to book buying funds, a loss of professional staff and a slow decline in infrastructure. Beyond that, the situation in schools is still a cause for great concern, and a generation of Zimbabweans, so well educated until recently, could well grow up illiterate. Teachers have left Zimbabwe and/or the profession in thousands due to poor pay and past harassment. Many of those that remain are poorly motivated. This term was unusual in that teachers were not on strike when it began. And even when the teachers are there, parents cannot afford the fees, and consequently children are constantly sent home from school. For the population as a whole, the inclusive power-sharing government and 'dollarisation' has brought (short-term?) improvement but there is still an air of repression and little prospect of the economy climbing significantly out of its dark deep hole. We can only hope that the bad times are at an end and that it's not yet too late.

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Friday 14th May - to prison (and then home)

My last day in Zimbabwe begins with a visit to a university library we have not supported before and which is temporarily located in Bulawayo until its campus in Lupane, 170km away, is ready. Lupane State University Library is situated in one small room with just a couple of rows of shelving. The university is still small with 500 students and only a few programmes in agriculture, development and linguistics/communication but the library is clearly inadequate and would benefit tremendously from BAI support. The temporary campus is located in buildings vacated by the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), which has shrunk in size over the years, but still employs 9000 people, and their library, just around the corner, is my next destination. The library is utilising an old chapel building but is surprisingly spacious and BAI books such as A-Level texts and in engineering and computer skills are very well used.

Next up, I head for prison, and this will be the fourth time I have been inside for BAI! On the way, old steam engines are passed at the railway museum. Bulawayo Prison is a remand prison and the the prison service is trying to reinvigorate its library here in Bulawayo, and at other prisons, including Khami Maximum Security Prison, where educational programmes are also run. The prison yard is full of inmates hanging around and books offer them a way to use their time well. At Khami prison, over 100 inmates are studying for various exams, including O Level and A Level, and they have just received their first books from BAI. This is part of a real effort to reform prisons in Zimbabwe and start a genuine rehabilitation programme. In contrast, not so long ago, many inmates were dying in prison from lack of food and supplies, but this was at a time when food was scarce for everyone. Fortunately, things are now much better so food for the mind is now also much needed.

I get out of jail free and head straight for the airport to start my long journey home.

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Thursday 13th May – information for health

The morning begins with a 20 minute walk to Bulawayo Polytechnic which has many well-used BAI books. Next stop is the National Free Library, an old library with an old collection including leather bounded volumes of Punch going back into the 1800's and 10 volumes of an 1890s series of books on war in the Crimea. The library is a research library but it's large collection has very few up-to-date books. There are two glass cabinets containing modern books, mostly from BAI. Three tourism students from the polytechnic are busy looking for books on purchasing management and find one – they'll have to share.

The rest of the day is spent visiting two hospitals – the United Bulawayo Hospital and Mpilo Hospital. Both have schools of nursing. The first has two small libraries, one for staff and one for nurses, with some BAI books in evidence. The second has a larger more impressive library and is run as an outpost of the University of Zimbabwe which has a medical programme at the library. The librarian is impressive and talks about encouraging the students and their lecturers to use the library. This helped the midwifery students all pass their last exams. Doctors come for information to help treat patients and sometimes this is available on the internet (when it is working and not too slow), and sometimes in textbooks, even if they are old. The librarian assists and guides the doctors and this can make a real difference to whether a patient improves or not, and occasionally it is a matter of life and death. The librarian looks forward to hearing how the doctors get on even though the news may not always be good (and there are few drugs available to treat patients). There are quite a number of BAI books but the numbers are limited , and students steal books and pages. A new security system has been installed to combat this and most key textbooks, including many from BAI, are kept on reserve near the librarian's desk. There are 600 nursing and midwifery students and it is hoped that many will stay in Zimbabwe but many are likely to head for South Africa, Botswana or the NHS. The positive is that their remittances back home are also vital to many.

Go back to Book Aid International's Website

Wednesday 12th May - rural libraries and donkeys

The morning paper says that classrooms in Bulawayo are 'almost empty as schools send pupils home'. Teachers are currently only paid $160 per month and want $500 which the poverty datum line, so some schools are charging an extra 'incentive' fee to top-up teachers' pay, as well as fees for textbooks and other items. This can take the fees up to $70 per term, and many can't afford that. It was apparent yesterday on the drive to Gwanda that many pupils had gone to school only to be sent home early. Pupils in Zimbabwe these last few years are really missing out. And there could be an illiterate generation in a country that had become used to having one of the highest literacy rates in Africa.

Back to the library visits - a long drive out of town today to see two rural libraries in schools supported by the Rural Libraries and Resources Development Programme (RLRDP), a long-standing partner of BAI. The schools are both in a village called Guwe, one primary, one secondary. We visit the secondary school first and though it has an established library, it is dominated by multiple copies of US textbooks, many not that relevant, and which have displaced from the shelves many better books including for example a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The library is also very disorganised and RLRDP tell me it was organised and classified efore. However, it does seem the school is starting almost from scratch again following the economic collapse. There is a young teacher-librarian who is unqualified who has a big task to improve the library, but he does have support from pupil librarians, one of whom says the Baby-Sitters Club is a very popular series. RLRDP will offer advice and training to improve the library. A youth NGO in Bulawayo is supporting some former students to resit their O-Levels and most seem to use the library – a Mills and Boon novel is being read by a young male student, and everyone says they enjoy them. Setting up and sustaining school libraries is always challenging, but particularly in a period of economic collapse, but RLRDP, with a track record going back to the early 1990s are well placed to kickstart them again.

The electricity supply has gone in my hotel so I am now writing by the light of my laptop!

The primary school is more of a storeroom than a library but does have two teacher librarians, a borrowing system and library periods, and the books are being well-used. The Ugly Duckling is popular for example. The school also benefits from RLRDP's donkey drawn mobile library in which I have a quick ride. This visits the school every 3 weeks and adds to the diversity of books available, and also visits two other schools. This is one of 20 donkey drawn mobile libraries run by RLRDP. Elsewhere, there are 120 schools served by book delivery bicycles to transport book boxes. The school charges the official $5 for school fees but does not load on any other charges so most pupils are able to attend – it also has an almost full complement of qualified teachers showing that it is not all doom and gloom, though with my laptop power fading, it will be for me in a few minutes!

Go Back to Book Aid International's Website

Tuesday 11th May – To Gwanda

A drive out of town today to visit the Edward Ndlovu Memorial Library and other institutions in Gwanda that benefit from support via the Bulawayo Committee. The library is funded through the Edward Ndlovu Memorial Trust and well-stocked with plenty of well-used, and well-organised BAI books. It is a real community library with storytelling (the kids enjoyed a reading of Handa's surprise), a long-standing book box scheme for 26 schools and a 'study circle' programme which provides information to groups to support activities such a vegetable gardening and nutrition.

Afterwards, I visit Gwanda Hospital where there is a multidisciplinary school for nurses, midwives and other medics. The library is full of mainly outdated books with a few from BAI. I talk to some students and few seem to use the library though seven are members of the memorial library. At present, the hospital has no qualified doctors making the copy of Where there is no doctor very apt, but when sending this book it was not expected that there would be no doctor in a hospital!Last stop in Gwanda is the Joshua Nkomo Polytechnic. The library is an extraordinary building part spider, part space ship, and perfectly designed for the local baboons who break in from time to time. Like many of the higher education institutions here, the book stock is mainly from BAI.

Monday 10th May – back in Bulawayo

So I'm back in Bulawayo for the first time in 9 years and I'll be retreading some ground, starting with the Bulawayo Public Library. This is a self-run library over 100 years old and although it now has a slightly dated feel (like a British library stuck in 1965, computer centre apart), it is still a very well run and organised library. The library has separate sections for children, students, and adults and also includes a braille corner, good book displays, a red carpet room for premium members, and runs a mobile library van to schools. BAI books from Mills and Boon and Harry Potter to A-Level Physics and business accounting have been extensively used and frequently borrowed.

I then walk around the corner to the library at the National University of Science and Technology which is cramped and, especially in recent years, very reliant on BAI books. Nine years ago, they were set to move to a new library but it is has been nine years of stagnation, so the move has never happened. There has been no money to but books for several years. Next to the British Council where I am to meet the Bulawayo Book Distribution Committee, where it is very apparent that times are still extremely difficult. Bulawayo, and wider Matebeleland, being nearer to South Africa, more Ndebele than Shona, and politically more MDC than Mugabe's ZANU-PF, has perhaps seen a bigger exodus of professionals including teachers than other parts of Zimbabwe. In total, it is estimated that 45,000 teachers have left the profession in the last decade and departed for South Africa or other neighbouring countries, and those that are left behind are often poorly motivated and not always paid.

In the afternoon, I visit two of the nine municipal libraries, which have been very under-staffed and under-resourced in recent years, with many staff leaving, but now new library have been recruited. The second library opened in 2008 and is a new one and needs more books to fill up it up. BAI books are well used but the lack of teachers (and motivated teachers) in recent years and the inability of pupils to pay school fees has led to less use of the library. In the evening, I have dinner at Maureen Stewart's (the British Council Manager's) house. In advance, I am warned there may be no water (many urban communities are having to use water pumps again). As it turns out, it has come back on, but instead it is the electricity that has gone.

Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th May: 24 hours in Victoria Falls

So it's the weekend, and on my third visit to Zimbabwe I finally make it to Victoria Falls for a brief 24 hour stopover. Of course, working for BAI means that a visit to Victoria Falls does not start with the falls themselves. I am picked up at the airport by Douglas Siatimba, the Victoria Falls Librarian, and Sindiso Tshuma of the local Lusumpuko Education Trust, and am taken to the Public Library. The library has only been open 12 years but makes a big difference as there is not another library for miles. It is well organised and has many books which have to be retrieved from Bulawayo, 435km away. The librarian is also trying to establish 3 community libraries, and shows me a picture of one built in a vernacular, Zimbabwean style. The nearest of the 3 libraries is 60km away with no libraries in between. Afterwards I am taken to the Big Tree (a huge baobab tree over 1000 years old) , and then make it onto a boat to catch the sun set on the Zambezi. I can hear the falls but still have not seen them!

On Sunday, I get up early to make my way to the falls, and pass three elephants on the path between the town and falls. I walk along the path with someone who works at the Falls who assures me it is fine – elephants often visit the town!
The falls are as spectacular as you would imagine, though there is a lot of spray, and I am wet through quickly as they are in full flow at this time of year. Afterwards, Douglas and Sindiso, who have turned out to be most excellent local guides, take me to see a view of the Zambezi gorge followed by a snappy visit to a crocodile farm, passing more elephants on the way.

Then, an eventful 24 hours after I arrived, they drop me off at the airport. Air Zimbabwe, despite the doubts of many, gets to me to Bulawayo in the evening on time, ready for the week ahead.

Friday 7th May: Book handovers, pigs and Bob Mugabe

The morning begins with a visit to the British Council, who provide valuable assistance in clearing the BAI shipments into Zimbabwe, and are happy to continue to do so. We then proceed to a book handover ceremony involving 11 high schools that receive book donations from the Harare Distribution Committee. Very smart pupils in blazers are in attendance and the occasion goes well. I am interviewed by the Herald newspaper afterwards and talk soundbites - education is the route out of poverty, books change lives!

After the ceremony we head out of Harare to a rural high school, St John's. The school is well kept and has an impressive quality about it. It turns out that the students have built ¾ of the school buildings themselves and they are of a good quality too. The library is big but mostly full of outdated books, except for a number received recently from BAI. Most of the BAI books are kept behind the librarian's desk for reference only. The borrowing record shows that the pupils are avid readers, and the head talks about this 'injection and infusion of books' which has helped pupils to 'explore and learn new things', including one student who has learnt to play guitar with a BAI book. After the library, we have a tour of the schools grounds and see pigs, rabbits and vegetable gardens which are all key ingredients to keeping the school self-sufficient. Impressively, around 500 of the 800 pupils are girls. Unfortunately, over the road at the primary school, the library has a desolate and dusty air, and BAI books are hard to find amongst the shelves which tower over one side of the room. It is clear that the library needs better care and that to make the most of what is a reasonable space will require training. On the way back, the first of four motorcyclists is a sign that big Bob Mugabe's motorcade is about to pass, as it soon does, on his return from a state visit to Tanzania.

This brings me to the end of my visits in Harare. It seems that 2008 marked the nadir for Zimbabwe with the cholera outbreak, hyper-inflation and tensions on the street. People are beginning to cautiously look forward and things seem relatively back to normal but the future remains very uncertain, and there are worries that the peace will only last until the next election. Talking of elections, in the evening, I catch up belatedly with the UK election and am not too surprised to see that my old home town of Brighton has elected a green MP, but from here, the UK seems very distant and the politics of a hung parliament very far away.

The Cat in the Hat is book of the day

The day begins with a visit to the National Association of NGOs (NANGO) which has a small resource centre used by researchers and students. The next stop is an informal school run by the Viva Network, situated in the compound of Harare's Presbyterian church. Viva Network run a number of informal schools for street children and obtained BAI books from the Harare Distribution Committee about a year ago. The books are kept in plastic boxes with games and other educational resources. I sit in on an interactive reading of the Dr Seuss classic The Cat in the Hat which is followed up with a cat in the hat jigsaw puzzle which the kids takes turns to complete. Some of the older children are read or read themselves English readers and a book of folk tales in Shona, the local language. The school I visited has 60-70 children and the best will get support to go onto more formal schooling, and some former pupils now work for the Viva Network itself. The books are giving them a good start and are clearly enjoyed.

After the Viva Network, it is back to the world of academia with a visit to the Zimbabwe Open University, which like Open Universities elsewhere, aims to make higher education more accessible. I visit their regional centre library which is small for the number of students they have. BAI books are clearly in much demand, but much more are needed in subjects like economics, counselling, sports development and agriculture. And the centre I am visiting is one of ten! Nearly half the books must be from BAI and they have had no money to buy books for 3-4 years.

I end the day visiting the Zimbabwe Women's Resource Centre and Network (ZWRCN) which aims to empower women through the provision of information. The resource centre is well organised and has room for quite a number of readers, and the users range from students and researchers to NGO workers, and four of the users that I talk to are studying at the Women's University that I visited yesterday. To extend their services, ZWRCN are also working with two library services that I will be visiting next week - the Edward Ndlovu Memorial Library in Gwanda and the Rural Libraries and Resources Development Programme based in Bulawayo. In the evening I give a talk to Harare Central Rotary Club and once again it is clear that the work of Rotary here in Zimbabwe is very supportive of BAI's book donation programme.

Breakfast at dawn

I begin the day telling the Africa Dawn Rotary Club (it does indeed meet at dawn or rather just after at 7am!) about Book Aid International over a breakfast meeting and thank Rotary for their assistance which as well as distributing books includes organising activities during national literacy month and providing essential training for teacher-librarians. I visit ZACRO next, an impressive prison welfare organisation, supporting the rehabilitation of prisoners, which has set up 3 prison libraries utilising BAI books but wants to set up 65 more!

The Harare hospital is the next destination, where BAI books are much appreciated in the school of nursing, which now sees virtually all students pass thanks they say to BAI books – only 3 students failed in the last exams compared to 20 before and the books are the only real difference. The principal tutor tells me with a suitable medical analogy that 'what we teach them in class is only a skeleton, now students can research on their own'.

Next is City of Harare Libraries. The HQ library, Highfield, has deteriorated much since I visited it in 2002, with a leaky roof and stalactites forming! The other two I visit are not too bad, but the city library service, which has also introduced charges recently, is very under-resourced,and a far cry from what it used to be, despite the best intentions of its librarians. Library users tell me that they need more books on commerce but several were using BAI books on motor vehicle mechanics and accountancy. One named beautifully in the African way as Honest, was using a geography book but told me (appropriately to her name) that she would prefer a different one, Geography- An Integrated Approach, which is also one of BAI's most requested books!

Young Rotarians known as Rotaractors have been helping to set up a school mobile library scheme based on two clusters of schools. I visit the two schools that hold the main stock and whilst it is clear the scheme has some way to go, both schools are using the books and keen to encourage reading. The schools and the city library service discuss ways for pupils to also use the public library as the books available in the schools (which have 1800 pupils each) are too limited.

The last visit of a busy day takes me to the Women's University in Africa, a university we have been supporting since it started 8 years or so ago. Like many younger universities, it has an enthusiastic staff and is very appreciative of BAI support. The library only has 4000 books, about half of which are from BAI, and many BAI books were in use in the library.

Harare seems little changed at a glance, but economically the country has been hit hard. Everything is now paid for in $US and although the local Spar is once again full with as wide a range of food as anywhere else in the world (the shelves were empty not so long ago), and there is fuel for transport (which was not the case in 2002), it is clear that the $US is only providing a sticky plaster to bigger problems that have yet to be overcome. Libraries of all sorts have seen their budgets collapse and most cannot afford books any more.

I finish a busy day with a drink in the beautiful Bronte Hotel gardens before heading over the road to my cheaper hotel for a good night's rest!

Tuesday May 4: Book Aid International back in Zimbabwe

This is Rob Sarjant, BAI's Head of Programmes and Operations, reporting from Zimbabwe, on BAI's first visit there since 2004, and my first since 2002. I am expecting many changes as the last few years have been, as most people know, difficult in Zimbabwe but we have been told that things are now gradually improving and it is a good time to visit.

I touchdown in Harare a little late after cold fog delayed the connecting flight from Jo'burg. I drop my things off at the hotel and head straight to my first meeting which is with members of the Harare Distribution Committee, one of two committees in Zimbabwe that help clear our consignments through customs and distribute the books throughout Zimbabwe.

It is clear that they have done a tremendous job and are distributing books widely, often with the help of local Rotary clubs. I finish the day at the University of Zimbabwe Library where many BAI books are on reserve for 2 hours only borrowing as they are so popular. Books are sorted and distributed by the Committee at the University.

Friday 26th March: Spice island libraries

Hannah: Flying over the water to Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous island 2 hours off the coast of Tanzania. We were met at immigration by Hamid Juma, Director of the Zanzibar Library Service. Their spanking new library in Stone Town, the capital city of the island, is one of the most beautiful library buildings we’ve seen this trip, with the traditional carved doors of the area. They are still settling in, but they are clearly trying new ways of displaying their stock, especially in the children’s section which was bright, airy and included lots of posters and child friendly bookshelves.

Rob: Then we began the whirlwind section of our day, as we get around 6 more libraries that fall into two main groups – Teachers Centres which also serve as district libraries for communities, and primary schools where the pupils have been benefitting from small ‘book boxes’ of fiction books for children in both Swahili and English. We are hoping to receive funding to extend this scheme to ten more schools and wanted to see how the model was working.

Karen: For me, the most memorable visit of the day was to Bububu primary school, which serves around 6000 children who attend in two shifts, served by nearly 70 teachers. Class sizes can be up to 70, and textbooks may have to be shared by 10 children, who are fitted into the classrooms by sitting on the floor without any furniture. Despite this, Hamid tells us it’s considered one of the best schools in the area, with an unusually high number of children going on to study at secondary school. With this many children, it’s clear the number of fiction books provided by the book box can never be sufficient, but the headmaster still allows the children to borrow the books, encouraging their interest in reading both English and Swahili. We were surprised to see how enthusiastic young children are about reading and understanding English – primary school is taught in Swahili and secondary school is taught in English, but they all seemed very aware of how learning English early on could help their chances later. We will need to talk more about how the project could be expanded, but we finish our last official visit feeling optimistic about the opportunities to help development in libraries in Tanzania and Zanzibar.

We are writing this on a terrace overlooking Stone Town in Zanzibar, with a well deserved drink at our elbows. Looking back on the week, Karen is tired but optimistic, and will be going back to Camberwell, London with a renewed sense of purpose. Hannah has got some great footage of the readers of our books and can’t believe how much of a difference they can make – it’s been a great opportunity to find out what happens after the funding comes in! And Rob would be relaxing, but is already thinking about his next trip to Zimbabwe in May, where no doubt he will be blogging enthusiastically – and Karen will be following up the contacts she makes in a project development trip in July for what we hope will be the first of many repeat visits to Tanzania.

Thursday 25th March: Breakfast with Monkeys

Karen: The need to fend of the attentions of monkeys keen on my breakfast banana was not helped by another early start, as we left Tanga and headed back ‘home’ to Dar es Salaam after two nights away.


We were held up by a couple of the all too frequent road accidents, and were late for our second meeting with Mama Africa at the Central Library. Luckily, we were still able to get some great footage of children enjoying their new space and an interview with the ever-inspiring Mama Africa herself.

Hannah: Our last appointment in Dar-es-Salaam was at the headquarters of the Open University of Tanzania (OUT). They have a very good library with mostly relevant books, which according to the librarian are about 90% donated by Book Aid International. They are dealing with the problems of overcrowding as their courses become ever more popular, by seating students outside in two large permanent tents. We are more used to seeing reading tents for children, but it was heartening to see how busy it was as people finished their day jobs and got on with studying together.

Rob: We are long standing supporters of OUT, and it’s great to see opportunities given to people who may otherwise have missed out on the chances that education can offer. An early night was in order as a 5am start beckoned as we prepared to leave Dar after a packed 5 days and travel by ferry to Zanzibar.

Wednesday 24th March: Falling for Tanga

Karen: After a five hour drive, we arrived in Tanga on the coast above Dar es Salaam, and immediately went to see Tanga Regional Library, a beautiful building in dire need of repair. Holes in the roof and ceiling were being mended slowly and the stock was outdated, though very well organised with an eager new librarian looking to introduce new activities and restore the library to its former grandeur. After the stock is weeded to remove outdated books, a donation from Book Aid International could really make a difference – the library is obviously well used by the community in Tanzania’s third largest city.

Rob: We also had a visit to a secondary school in the area which had recently benefitted from renovation by volunteers from Read International, a UK based charity that we support with book donations. The library was created from what had been a ruin of a room, but again, book stock was very low for the number of children who were obviously keen to use it. Hannah filmed some great interviews, whilst Karen and I discussed what might be possible with some follow-up from Read International.


Hannah: Our last appointment was with a local NGO, the Tanga Youth Development Association, where we discussed the exciting possibility of setting up a community library in the region of Tanga to particularly benefit young people looking to maximise their opportunities in life.

Tuesday 23rd March: On the Road

Hannah: We started with a longish drive (3 hours is long by most standards, but not compared to the drive we know we’ve got coming up tomorrow!) to Morogoro to the west of Dar es Salaam. On the way, we had our first glimpse of the Tanzanian countryside after what seemed like hours of traffic jams in Dar. On the way there, Karen and I were excited to see baboons on the side of the road. Even Rob, after 20 trips to Africa, was pulling out his camera trying to take a picture.

Rob: Once we finally reached Morogoro, we were pleased to see the children’s book corner that Book Aid International is helping to secure funds for was up and running and being well used. The children were clearly enjoying an opportunity for their own space within the library, playing games and reading books in a comfortable environment.

Karen: Our afternoon visits were both university libraries - Sokoine University, which is also the national library of agriculture, and Mzumbe University. Both are growing very quickly as more people choose to carry on their education, but we found a very outdated book stock and insufficient resources for the number of students they serve. However, we left feeling optimistic we could help with relevant and high quality books at both universities, who had enthusiastic staff and quite comprehensive IT systems in place.

Monday, 22nd March: Finding our feet in Dar

Hannah: The first day of any trip traditionally starts with a visit to the National Central Library, and it was a great introduction for Karen and I to meet Dr. Alli Mcharazo, Director General of the Tanzania National Library Services Board (TLSB). We were also really excited to see the first of the Children’s Library Corners, which we received funding for at the end of last year.

Karen: As a former Children’s Librarian, I was inspired by the passion of ‘Mama Africa’ the incredibly energetic and enthusiastic leader of the project. The sunny room that had been provided for the Children’s Corner, with its comfortable cushions and maps was a welcoming environment for any child visiting the library. Although they are still waiting for the final purchase of books in Swahili, the local language of primary school instruction, it was clear that the corner is already well used and well loved.

Rob: The afternoon was earmarked for visiting the School of Library and Archival Documentation Studies (SLADS). The school has expanded rapidly in the town of Bagamoyo to support over 400 students, housed in a campus on the outskirts of the town. We were able to meet the students and talk to them about our work – they had very insightful questions about how we pick partners and libraries to send books to and the use of ICTs in our work. It is encouraging to see that the rapid expansion of the college means that being a librarian is now, more than ever seen as a viable and attractive career among the young people of Tanzania.

Karen: We were pleased to be invited to Alli’s home in the evening for dinner and to discuss the future of library development in Tanzania. A busy day tomorrow means that an early night was the sensible option!

Sunday 21st March: Into Africa

Karen: The first glimpse of Africa proves to be something of an anticlimax, in cold, dark, rainy Nairobi at 6.00 am – remarkably similar to cold, dark, rainy Heathrow at 7.00 pm the day before. Luckily, by the time we made our way to Dar es Salaam and touched down, the rain had stopped, the sun had come up, and everything was looking more promising.

Rob: We had planned to look around Dar es Salaam in the afternoon, but sleep depravation and the soupy heat kept us confined to our hotel until our meeting with Laela from Read International in the evening. Read International’s model for providing books in Tanzania is very different form our own, but it was good to catch up with a fellow NGO and swap experiences.

Tanzania Libraries Tour

So here we are in Tanzania: two rookies and an old hand. Karen Sharkey, new Programme Development Librarian at Book Aid International and Hannah Watson, Joint Head of Fundraising and Communications have both never been to Africa before, whereas Rob Sarjant, Head of Programmes and Operations, is a veteran of 16 years and nearly 20 trips. Karen is on this week long trip to meet the partners she will be developing projects with in her role as ‘desk officer’ for Tanzania, Hannah has come along to see what projects she’s fundraising for and to film the people who use the libraries and projects supported by Book Aid International, and Rob is here to keep Hannah and Karen in line, make necessary introductions and ensure that the whole trip goes smoothly in preparation for Karen’s solo trips later in the year. So here we all go…