The Lubuto Library Project
The Lubuto Library Project, founded in 2005, creates high quality, public libraries to serve Africa's vulnerable children and youth. Founded and guided by professional librarians, Lubuto believes that investment in libraries is necessary as a part of a comprehensive approach to youth empowerment and poverty reduction in Africa.
To date, Lubuto has built three libraries in Zambia for children and youth, each hosted by a different Zambian organization. These host organizations own and shape how the library fits into and serves their communities. After creating and stocking the libraries, Lubuto's role is to build capacity: we train librarians and ensure staff are able to effectively reach out and welcome the most marginalized youth to the library. Building this local ownership and professional capacity is central to Lubuto, and crucial to improving a sustainable future for public libraries in Africa as spaces for education, community and development.
Thomas Mukonde is a terrific example of the leadership and ownership we are building. Lubuto believes that supporting his professional education is the key to the future not only of Lubuto, but of children's libraries across the continent.
Who is Thomas Mukonde?
Thomas is Lubuto's Library Services Advisor, and is from the town of Kitwe, Zambia. He graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in History. Thomas joined Lubuto in November 2013, and immediately became a integral part of our team. Since joining our staff, Thomas has met and formed important new partnerships with local publishers and technological innovators, revitalized library services for teens through book clubs and movie nights, and fully embodied the holistic, supportive mission of Lubuto Libraries.
Building a Future for African Libraries
While there are many professional librarians and some library schools in Zambia, there is no coursework available in library services for children. Thomas has been accepted to the Master's in Library and Information Science program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, giving him an opportunity to study children's library services at this prestiguous MLIS program.
While Thomas has been offered both an assistantship and small scholarship, $25,000 is still needed to support him while he earns this essential degree. This amount includes the cost of his travel to and from Zambia, living expenses, books and academic supplies, and some remaining tuition costs. Please help contribute to this amount and play a vital role in the life of Thomas, and the lives of countless youth in Africa transformed everyday by visits to libraries made just for them.
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