Read With Malaika

Watch this reel by readwithmalaika on Instagram julieevisnes • Original Audio

What do you do with an idea?

Do you ignore it, or do you nurture it and let it grow?

We love this book, gifted to Read With Malaika and we are so grateful.

And when this library started out as an idea a year ago we never imagined we would be seeing it come to fruition. Thank you to everyone for supporting Malaika’s idea!

Great news! The books that you all gave our daughter Malaika to start her library have finally arrived!

These books have quite an incredible story. Long post... best to read with a map:)

Almost one year ago Malaika decided to start a library for kids here in Bukavu, DRC, who want to learn English. So many of you sent us books to Malaika's grandparents' house in the US and help with shipping costs. We packed a pallet of books for shipment to Congo last April. The European shipping company we contracted with then delayed for two months and then LOST the books in California. Luckily they were found several weeks later and eventually shipped.

Finally they arrived to the Kenyan coast in November. We were told by the shipping company that the books departed Kenya en route to the border point between Rwanda and DRC closest to us in mid-December. We were so excited!

On December 21 the agent in Europe confirmed the books were due to arrive and gave us the driver's number, Ali called the driver only to find that the driver already dropped off all the books as he had been instructed... to a border point with Uganda north of Lake Albert, far north from us, closer to South Sudan than to here! We were given no documentation of delivery or evidence of who had the books. Furthermore, the area they delivered the books to is one of the most insecure in DRC, without safely accessible roads from there to here. So much closer to here than the US, but still a world away. Our hearts sank.

Undeterred, Ali went to work, spending hours on the phone investigating and negotiating. He followed multiple leads for weeks to locate the cargo in a dépôt in a border town. As there is no secure route to bring the books from that area to here within DRC, we had to figure out a plan to get the books here. We were ultimately able to get them to Goma. Ali met the books there and then transported all the boxes with him on the overnight boat across Lake Kivu to Bukavu.

They arrived at dawn on a school day. We got the kids ready for school and drove to the port to see the books we have all put our heart and soul into and waited so long for!

Although it is the rainy season here, it rarely rains in the morning.
But that morning it poured!
We waited under umbrellas for about an hour for the downpour to lighten enough to safely carry boxes off the boat and into a car, and finally they are at the space we are preparing now for the library! Malaika is beyond excited and will have some updates to post soon for you!

Many people asked us last year why we don't just buy books here rather than ship them from the US. Well, this story illustrates a bit of why. There simply aren't books to buy here for a library. There is no postal system in DRC. The few books that are available are extraordinarily expensive. Because it is this hard to get books here. And this is one reason why there is a need for a library to improve access to books for kids.

Thank you all for your support in this project. These books have come a long way and have had quite a journey around the world to get here. We are so grateful they made it. They will give Malaika a start to creating the library she dreams of and surely will be well-used! Stay tuned!