PALF Community Outreach Program
PALF Community Outreach director David Mills donates
books to Labone High School in Accra, Ghana.
See the bottom of this page for more pictures of the 2008 book drive and contact information!
Overview:
In July 2008, the Pan-African Literary Forum (PALF) started a book drive where we collected over 2000 books, which were subsequently donated to four public schools in Accra , Ghana . At two of these schools, PALF’s donation consisted of more books than what these schools’ own libraries contained. As well as conducting the book drive, PALF was able to raise monies and give out ten scholarships to needy high school students in Cape Coast , Ghana . In July 2009, PALF will return to Ghana where we hope to build on these successes and distribute even more books and provide more scholarships.
Why Donate?
Book Drive: According to recent statistics, less than half of Ghanaian women are able to read, and the overall literacy rate for Ghanaian’s over the age of 15 is less than 60%. With so many Ghanaian children facing extreme poverty, the gift of reading can be life-saving. In every school we visited, we noticed a dearth of reading material in their libraries. This was not because the schools did not value reading, but because these institutions had little money for books. ( And at every school we visited, it was clear that the principals were committed to doing the best they could, but all of these administrators were hampered by a limited amount of resources. As a matter of fact, one principal houses, clothes and feeds four of her students because without her assistance these kids would be unable to go to school.) In another of the schools we had visited, their entire library was situated on one bookshelf. With our supporters’ generous donations, we quadrupled the number of books in that school’s library. But four shelves of books are not enough for the hundreds of students in need of an education and whose families have difficulty affording school fees, much less to buy their children books. Regrettably, there are innumerable Ghanaian schools in the same predicament. So by donating a book you could be opening up a new world for hundreds of needy students.
Monetary Donations: It costs approximately $100 US to send a Ghanaian student to public school for a year ($150, includes one meal a day), and yet many Ghanaian parents cannot afford this. Your tax-deductible donation would go a long way toward providing scholarships for financially needy Ghanaian girls and boys who show academic promise but whose families struggle to pay for these students' educations.
How Does it Work?
Students are selected based on academic merit, financial need and a personal essay. As long as a student maintains the equivalent of a ‘B’ average and completes a community service project, PALF plans to renew that student’s scholarship each year until s/he graduates. As well, PALF will monitor student progress and make sure that your invaluable donations are only used to pay for a scholarship recipient’s education.
2009 Goals:
To collect 4,000 books and raise $3,000 for scholarships. And to augment our community service efforts, we would like to create long-term partnerships with US corporations, not-for-profit organizations and academic institutions.
How You Can Help:
Monetary Donation: PALF is a government-certified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so your donations are tax-deductible. And we will provide receipts for your contribution.
Anyone wishing to make a monetary donation to the PALF Community Outreach Program may do so by sending a check to:
PALF
c/o New School University
66 West 12th Street
Room 504
New York, NY 10011
Please make out checks to: PALF (write “ Book Drive ” on the memo line).
Book Drive: While we welcome monetary donations at any time, we will launch our 2009 book drive in November 2008. We will have collection drop-offs in New York City , New York ; Fort Wayne , Indiana ; and San Francisco , California . We are also planning on hosting a book drive/fundraising event in New York City in early 2009.
PLEASE CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND FOR EXACT LOCATIONS AND TIMES OF THE BOOK DRIVES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF PALF’S EFFORTS.
If you have any question, please feel free to contact:
David Mills (PALF Community Outreach Director): comservghana@panafricanliteraryforum.org
