Our Featured speaker on September 8 was our own Coach Roy Austin, the founder of Libraries for Kids International.
From mailing a few books to a Kenyan school library in 2019 the organization to date has shipped over 33 containers with over 1.5 million books to over 13,000 schools in Kenya and 86 in Uganda, affecting over 3.5 million children.
A fellow Rotarian in the Bluffton club, Austin has connected with several Rotary organizations in Africa which have provided him support and logistical assistance. He has found that the Rotary network helps him connect with government officials and local leaders who support bringing books to schools with little or no library access. Not only was Libraries for Kids International founded by a Rotarian, but day-to-day operations are also led by a Rotarian, the Uganda Coordinator is a Rotarian and there are 4 U.S.-based Rotarians on the Board of Directors.
His hope is that he will be able to provide books to schools in all of Africa in the next few years.
