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Africa Trip: Day 14, Audrey

Posted by admin on 07.20.2010 at 3:00 pm

Hello Again! Our trip to South Africa is nearing an end, and we are all a little sad to see it go. As Maura described, South Africa is a beautiful and welcoming nation. As we finish up with a three night stay in bustling Capetown, we’re all thankful we arrived after the World Cup games were over. Not only are soccer jerseys on sale (they make great gifts!) but it’s generally just easier to get around and see the town, which we have taken some time to do before our 20+ hour journey back to the States.

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On Sunday we took a guided tour into the rolling countryside where we shopped, dined, and tasted the wine of the French and Dutch communities surrounding Capetown. The colonial history was fascinating for me, and really makes one aware of the micro melting-pot that South Africa is. English communities mingle with Dutch and French communities, in addition to the native African communities that have been here even longer. The views of the setting sun behind the sandstone mountains and over the ocean were breathtaking.

On Monday, we returned to school visits in the city. Just like the rural schools, some schools are well-supplied and have lots of room to keep the books and for students to use them. Others have little room for books because the classrooms are already overfilled; but still need books to encourage a reading culture among their students of all ages.

We spent the afternoon at the University of the Western Cape where our own Paco Miller spoke with Pat Plonski of Books for Africa and Gary Zelko of Merck Publishing on literacy forum. The panel centered around the access that South African students do and don’t have to books, and how our respective companies work together to provide more books and funds for schools all over the continent.

As a group, I feel that we’ve really connected in the last two weeks: We share dedication to our work and have all been touched by the students and teachers we’ve met here. While sad to leave, we are eager to return with our photos and stories to our friends and colleagues; hopefully we can inspire their continued support as well.

– Audrey Mohr

1 Comment » | Tagged Africa 2010, Literacy Trips

Better World Books + NCFL @Lilith

Posted by Abbey on 07.19.2010 at 10:18 am

At the Lilith Fair concert in L.A. I had an opportunity to chat with Emily Kirkpatrick of the National Center for Family Literacy about books, music, literacy and learning.

I asked her why are books and music so linked together for people and she had this to say:

“Passion – I think that’s the most important thing. People become avid readers because there’s a subject that they’re passionate about…and its similar with becoming a musician or enjoying music as a form of expression. It’s something that taps into your passion.”

Check out the video to hear more.

Have your say » | Tagged Our Partners, Emily Kirkpatrick, Lilith Fair, Los Angeles, National Center for Family Literacy, video

Africa Trip: Day 9, Maura

Posted by admin on 07.16.2010 at 12:57 pm

The trip is going well. Uganda was as emotionally stirring as South Africa is beautiful. I was not aware of how beautiful a country South Africa is nor was I as prepared to be as touched by the people of Uganda as I was. Keep in mind that Uganda is basically a country that has been upset by war. A violent conflict that has taken its toll on the people of the country. Imagine having to leave your home just to be safe and then not be able to return once the war is over because you no longer have title to the land as it was handed down from your father’s father? This has happened to many. If you were widowed while in the camps that were built to house you to keep you safe, you cannot return home because it is your husband’s family that owns the home you once knew. So what happens then and where do you go? There are way too many here trying to figure that out.

The people of Uganda have been through so much I find it so unbelievable that they are as open and friendly as they are. They have to be one of the warmest people I have met in my life. They welcome strangers into their homes, feed them, and pray for them upon departure. They were honest and open when talking to us. The people we were meeting through the Legacy Scholarship Program offered by Invisible Children were the proud parents and it was clear that they just want the best for their children.

The folks of South Africa have been as warm. The students or Learners as they are called here have sung and danced for us at each location. The teachers and other students have given speeches to thank us for our work. I must say I have met some very poised 7th graders that are able to speak to a crowd of people in a stirring way! Most of the libraries have been set up and are in good shape but could always use more space and books. They serve an incredible amount of food to share with us and it is an outright celebration that we have come to visit. Next time I visit home the family is really going to have to do some things differently because a person could get use to this type of treatment!
Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Africa 2010, Literacy Trips, books for africa, invisible children, Legacy Scholarship Program, room to read, South Africa, uganda, Zulu

Africa Trip: Day 1 – 4, Jason

Posted by admin on 07.15.2010 at 4:27 pm

Of course internet access has been spotty for our Africa travelers, but I just go this update from employee Jason Staples who is along for the ride. Enjoy a few days of his unique reflections!

July 6, 2010

We have just landed in Uganda! It is quite a small airport, with quite a few Coca-Cola logos. We were immediately greeted by Andrew from Invisible Children. We traveled approximately five hours from the Entebbe airport to Gulu, where we were staying in a hotel in the middle of downtown. The first culture shock of the trip occurred when we immediately were thrown into the craziest traffic I have ever seen. Our van driver was constantly honking at cars, scooters, and bicycles riding the shoulder of the road. Along with the people on the side of the road, we witnessed goats, cows, and monkeys. Some of them were even riding in the back of the trucks! The power seems to go out in Gulu on a semi-regular basis, also. We have been adjusting pretty quickly though and our flash lights have come in handy on a few occasions.

July 7, 2010

Breakfast. We have become quite accustomed to Spanish omelettes, toast, bananas, and fruit juice every morning at our hotel. Apparently though, you become a target of mosquitoes when you eat a lot of bananas and then sweat. Most of us have chosen to live dangerously and just eat lots of bananas.

After breakfast, Andrew picked us up from the hotel and took us to the Invisible Children office in Gulu. There is a case on the wall in the lobby, displaying all of the products that IC has created since they started. He gave us a short history of the Read more…

1 Comment » | Tagged Africa 2010, Literacy Trips, Gulu, invisible children, Jaosn Staples, Mattuck, uganda

Rockin’ out with HEART in San Fran

Posted by Abbey on 07.15.2010 at 10:00 am

So after being on a music tour for a while, the “star-struck” atmosphere has definitely dwindled… but let me just say that when Heart took the stage in San Francisco, I could barely contain my excitement! I mean come on, Ann Wilson?? Dare I say, best female rock vocals EVER??? (Can you tell I’m a fan?) Her voice was pure and perfect, sounding just has it had when their first album came out in 1976. What’s she doing to preserve that thing and how do I get in on it? Other performances on the tour have been powerful and somewhat mellow, but Heart ripped that stage to pieces. The audience was going crazy! Rock and Roll! Can’t wait to see their next performance tomorrow in Kansas City! Ann and Nancy Wilson, you both have a piece of my heart!!

Ok, let me step away from the cheesiness before I reach a point I can’t come back from (too late?). The San Francisco show as a whole was crowded with people. We were right in front of the ABC Stage in the sponsor village and people were packed in as close as they could get in order to see the shows. A Fine Frenzy drew a particularly large crowd with people surrounding sponsor booths and creeping back toward the entrance to the mainstage. Can you really blame them? http://alturl.com/bjh4d

Have your say » | Tagged Company News, Ann Wilson, Heart, San Francisco

Better World Books + Invisible Children @ Lilith

Posted by Abbey on 07.14.2010 at 9:59 am

The Lilith tour recently stopped in San Diego, home of our non-profit literacy partner Invisible Children. We took the opportunity to have a brief chat with them about their mission and their Schools for Schools program aimed at helping rebuild education in war-torn Northern Uganda.

Have your say » | Tagged Company News, Our Partners, invisible children, Lilith, Northen Uganda, San Diego, schools for schools

Africa Trip: Day 5, Audrey

Posted by admin on 07.13.2010 at 8:00 pm

Hello Again! Our itinerary has kept us quite busy, and will continue to for the next week until we fly back to the States. We are now in South Africa and looking forward to visiting our Room to Read and Books for Africa partners.

Our last few days in Uganda were very memorable. We all had the opportunity to travel for one day with Invisible Children mentors as they made visits to families and students. Invisible Children sponsors a scholarship program for nearly 700 students in the Gulu, Uganda area. These students not only have their education paid for, but are partnered with a mentor who helps the student to focus on their studies. Many of the students attend boarding schools as well and the mentors communicate between the students and families so news from home makes it to school and back again.

The main mode of transportation for the mentors is cheap, fast and easy to maneuver in the busy Gulu streets: motorbikes! A number of us even cruised a little way out of town and into the bush, where the countryside is green, lush and covered in a mixture of tall grass, tasseling maize, and palm trees. I stopped at five different homes over the course of the day (which included a break at lunch for the local high school volleyball tournament) with Jefferey, who mentors 32 students in all. The conversations were in the local language, and usually centered around the health of the family members and other happenings at home. It was a fascinating and humbling experience to be invited into homes, offered maize (like sweet corn, without the sweet, butter or salt!) and soda and hear the conversations translated from my mentor. What an incredible look into the real day-to-day experiences of a wonderfully hospitable and open culture.

So much of our trip has been enlightening and terrific. However, I feel it is only right to share some of our more anecdotal experiences as well. In preparation for a cruise on the Nile which was planned for our time at Murchison Falls National Park (see Jason’s upcoming post), one of our members visited the Pharmacy asking for a motion sickness remedy. Upon leaving, walking to our restaurant and opening the box and reading the details, we found it was actually a remedy for morning sickness. This person was able to return the purchase for a full refund.

Ugandan vehicles have to be built to survive hard and bumpy roads in the dry season and large mud puddles and slicks in the wet season. Our vehicle was from the Invisible Children office, and held up wonderfully for our long hours on the road. One afternoon, as we were about halfway through a five our trek, we stopped to stretch. As soon as everyone was out of the car, we heard a hissing and looked; our rear tire was losing air, and quickly went completely flat. Luckily we had a spare with us, but the jack we had wasn’t tall enough to get the vehicle far enough off the ground! The next hour (maybe more) was spent trying to place the tire in the perfect pothole, while keeping the axel on high ground so we would be able to get the tire off. The truly ironic part was that this was one of the smoothest gravel roads we had been on in days…

1 Comment » | Tagged Africa 2010, Literacy Trips, books for africa, invisible children, room to read, uganda

Lilith Behind the Scenes: Meeting Sarah!!

Posted by Abbey on 07.13.2010 at 1:41 pm

During the Portland show, rumors were circling around the sponsor village that we might get to meet Sarah McLachlan before the doors opened in the venue.

It was a long day for all of us, we had just crossed the US/Canada border and were scrambling around for new shipments and various other pieces of tent-gear. The atmosphere was slightly frantic. There is an incredible amount of work that goes into setting up these tent villages at fairs.

It was about 2:10pm and doors were scheduled to open in 20 minutes. The chances of a Sarah sighting were looking pretty slim and I hadn’t eaten since the night before. I finally decided “Ok guys, well it doesn’t look like she’s showing and I’m hungry so I’m- “ but I noticed people looking past me so I turned around and she just appeared all of a sudden (I mean really, I don’t even know where she came from) and was shaking my hand and introducing herself to me!

She was ushered into our tent briefly by a couple of people from her staff and was extremely friendly. She shared our passion for social entrepreneurship and really had a nice down-to-earth conversation with the group before being whisked away to another sponsor tent. She is a perfect example of just how real artists and performers can be. Gracious, friendly, humble- Awesome.

1 Comment » | Tagged Company News, Lilith, Portland, Sarah McLachlan

A Note from CEO David Murphy

Posted by admin on 07.13.2010 at 11:35 am

All –

It is with great sadness and yet great hope and inspiration that all of us at Better World Books let our friends at Invisible Children know that we are with them in this time of mourning and loss. While I did not know Nate Henn personally, he is the type of individual that exemplifies the tremendous passion and enthusiasm of the IC community to change this world for the better… no matter the naysayers; no matter the odds (click here to find out more about Nate). He, his family and friends, and the entire Invisible Children organization will be in our thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time.

It will be in memory of Nate, as well is in the name of every member of Invisible Children who labors to bring peace, justice and a better world through literacy and education to the children and families of Northern Uganda, that we at Better World Books will continue our efforts to support IC’s mission in all that we do.

David Murphy
President and CEO
Better World Books