Little Free Library, Books For Africa, San José State Collaborate Sending 50,000 Books to Kenya

ST. PAUL, Minn. - May 30, 2025 - PRLog -- Little Free Library, Books For Africa, San José State Collaborate

To Send 50,000 Children's Books to Kenya

MEDIA ADVISORY

Contact: Doug Stone, Books For Africa media consultant
stone7586@gmail.com

What: Little Free Library and Books For Africa, nonprofits based in St. Paul, are collaborating with students and faculty at San José State University in California to send 50,000 children's books to the Kenyan National Library Service and to Little Free Libraries throughout the country. Called "Soma Safari," meaning Reading Adventure, the project is aimed at improving literacy among children.  Students and faculty at the School of Information at San José State helped organize the shipment, raised money and coordinated with the Kenyan National Library Service to organize book distribution.  Little Free Library is also sending new Libraries. Books For Africa has collected the books and is helping to organize the shipment. Thomson Reuters has provided funds for this shipment and for a reference law library as well.

Who: His Excellency David Kerick, Ambassador of Kenya to the United States, announced the collaboration on May 23 at Little Free Library headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, along with leaders from the organizations. Kenya is located in eastern Africa with a population of 52.4 million (in 2024), 7^th largest in Africa.

Why: Here's how the leaders explained the importance of the project:

Patrick Plonski, Executive Director of Books For Africa: "Advancing education and literacy among students in Kenya and throughout Africa is the essence of our mission and working with these great partners contributes substantially to this effort.  Kenya has been the number one country served by Books For Africa for several years now."
Greig Metzger, Little Free Library Executive Director: "With Little Free Library book-exchange boxes in 128 countries around the world, it is only natural for us to join the Soma Safari initiative and donate the boxes that will be used in this pilot program. It is an honor to be working with existing partners—our St. Paul neighbor, Books for Africa, with its long legacy of providing books across the African continent, and the San Jose State University iSchool—as well as new partners, the Kenya National Library Service and Knowledge Empowering Youth."

Dr. Anthony Chow, Director of the SJSU School of Information: "The Soma Safari project exemplifies our mission to promote global literacy and equitable access to information—helping build stronger communities one book at a time."

Dr. Charles Nzivo, CEO, Kenya National Library Service: "Soma Safari is an important national initiative that brings books closer to communities, ignites a love for reading, and strengthens the foundation for a more informed, empowered, and inclusive society."

More information: https://booksforafrica.org