In 2011, Quintessentially Foundation in partnership with Room to Read constructed a shared library in Kapungwe, Zambia. This was achieved through the 2010 bike ride from London to Land’s End which raised £127,000. The library is located in the Eastern Province, which is a wet, rural region in eastern Zambia that contains lush farmland and fertile growing fields. While farming and agriculture dominate the provincial economy, the region is one of the poorest in Zambia with most residents living off subsistence crop production and lacking access to even the most basic of needs.
The Reading Room team in Zambia works hard to select the most appropriate and engaging reading materials to stock the libraries. The Zambia team purchases local language and English books from retailers and publishers in Zambia, in addition to receiving English books through our global English book donation system. The majority of the books Room to Read provide are in English, because children in Zambia are taught English starting in Grade 2. Room to Read has provided 934 English books and other resources to this library.
Kapungwe Basic School library will receive three full years of additional support from Room to Read, which will include approximately 1,000 new books and regular monitoring visits. These visits will assess the library and provide continued support to the librarian and teachers, to ensure the library provides many years of reading enjoyment for the students.
Your investment in our work has helped Quintessentially Foundation achieve our ambitious goals and has encouraged us to continue to think big as we plan for the year ahead. Room to Read would like to say a huge thank you for your partnership as we work together to promote literacy and gender equality in education, giving more children the opportunities they deserve. Quintessentially Foundation’s investment has provided a tremendous gift to this community that will be used by hundreds of children over the years ahead.
