Two U.S. University Professors Launch Library Building Campaign in Africa

Two university professors in the United States are heading up a nonprofit organization that hopes to build seven new libraries in Africa by the end of 2011. The first library is scheduled to open this month in Paga, Ghana, a small village that has about 15,000 inhabitants. The libraries are small shacks that will be stocked with books but, probably more important, will contain a satellite Internet terminal. The next library will be built in Liberia.

Building Libraries for Africa is the brainchild of Jahi U. Issa, an assistant professor of history at Delaware State University, and Salim Faraji, an assistant professor of African studies and history at California State University Dominguez Hills. The two professors hope to raise about $400,000 to complete this initial phase of the project.

For more information or to make an online donation to support the library building project, click here.