I have mentioned before that I am on the Board of Turn the Page Uganda, a non-profit that purchases school books for schools in northern Uganda. We buy the books from a local bookstore in Kampala, Uganda, hoping to support the local economy and to get books that the schools actually need. So many groups send old US books, but shipping is horribly expensive, customs in Mombassa, Kenya is rife with bribes and disappearing shipments, then there is the over-ground shipping issues. And, really, how useful are old US textbooks when they have Ugandan curriculum? Sorry, I hope that doesn't offend anyone, but I have such a difficult time with us (US) dumping our old unwanted junk on poor countries when we can help them and their economy by purchasing locally.
We only formed about a year ago and it is amazing how long it takes to raise money (especially in a recession) and to set up the infrastructure on the ground, especially from far away and in a country such as Uganda.
But, we raised enough money this past year to support about ten schools in the towns of Lira and Soroti! When we got the photos from the first schools it made me realize that we're actually doing it and making a difference!
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