Africa Trip: Day 14, Jason

Posted by admin on 07.22.2010 at 4:42 pm

We finished up our last round of school visits in Capetown yesterday.  We were very fortunate to visit so many schools in various stages of improvement.

Have your say » | Tagged Africa 2010, Literacy Trips, books for africa, invisible children, room to read

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

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…

More stories to come!

–Audrey Mohr

P.S.   Wanna see how the whole thing started?  Check out the earlier Africa trip posts:

On the ground in Africa
Africa Trip: Day 1, Audrey
Africa Trip: Day 1, Maura

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

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

Have your say » | Tagged Company News, Our Partners, invisible children, Nate Henn, Northern Uganda

Africa Trip: Day 1, Maura

Posted by admin on 07.09.2010 at 1:29 pm

In today’s guest post, Maura Varian, the Managing Director of our UK operation shares her thoughts as she participates in the Better World Books Africa Trip.

The Journey

Most of us started in the states, and it has been a multi-leg excursion.  South Bend – Chicago-London-Emtebee-Gulu.  All total 15 hours over two days, will it be worth the trip?

I don’t know about all the others on this journey but there are some of us that had no idea what lay ahead or what to even expect.  What will the people be like, what will the temperature be, what will the places we visit will be like and what will folks think of us are all questions that were going through my mind.  I know for me I had no point of reference whatsoever.  Yes, I’ve seen the charity advertisements on late night TV, but that couldn’t be what it is ALL like?  Yes, I’ve seen movies like Out of Africa, but come on – that is just a movie and not about current times.  I’ve seen the videos our literacy partner Invisible Children has produced, but that can’t be what it is like now, things have changed, right?

So for some of us, we had no way to be prepared for this trip.  I chose before coming not to think about that.  I chose to realize that this was an opportunity of a lifetime and I was taking it.  For me this was fulfillment of a life-long dream.  I always said I wanted to go to Africa before I was fifty…I only missed it by a couple of days!  (OK now everyone knows how old I am)

The journey was topped off with a 5 hour drive from Kempala to Gulu.  We travelled through several villages, passed many primary schools, crossed the Nile and even saw monkeys.  I have to say by the time yesterday ended…I felt complete and the actual trip hadn’t even really started.

On the Ground

I can only say that this has been so far an amazing experience and I am only 3 days into it.  I can only equate it to other places I’ve been by saying it is like some of the less developed islands I’ve been to in the Caribbean.  However, for most of those trips one had the resort to Read more…

3 Comments » | Tagged Africa 2010, Literacy Trips, invisible children, maura varian

2 Readers’ Choice Literacy Grant Winners Announced

Posted by Dana on 07.06.2010 at 1:11 pm

We here at Better World Books couldn’t be prouder to announce that two Readers’ Choice Literacy Grants have been awarded for $20,000 each!

The first award goes to our top vote getter Invisible Children.  They have  launched innovative programs that advance education and create lasting stability in war torn Northern Uganda.

Through the Readers’ Choice grant, Invisible Children will provide comprehensive literacy training to 400 individuals displaced by the conflict and now returning to their ancestral homes. These 400 participants will use their literacy skills, paired with micro-finance training, to help create and manage small businesses that will change the lives of their families, create opportunities for friends and neighbors, and advance the economic standing of their community at large.

And this year we wanted to make sure it wasn’t just about votes, so we put all of our applicants up for committee review.  And the winner of the second $20,000 grant goes to The Cooperative for Education (CoEd)!  They are a Read more…

2 Comments » | Tagged Uncategorized, Cooperative for Education, invisible children, Readers' Choice Literacy Grant

Invisible Children Wants Your Books

Posted by admin on 01.20.2010 at 9:30 am

Today’s guest blogger Aaron King, one of our most amazing Better World Book Getters fills us in on the Invisible Children book drives and the impact your books are having in Northern Uganda.

Invisible children recently told me that we have 20 days left to “raise” 100,000 books.

And I was like, “What? You want me to hold a box of books up over my head”?

Ok, Ok… I understand the program: thousands of IC supporters across the country are feverishly collecting books which they ship to Better World Books’ warehouse where they are sold to generate funds to promote the peace process in Northern Uganda as well as rebuild and strengthen local schools.

And yes, whoever “raises” the most books wins a free trip to Uganda. But that is actually not important in the grand scheme of things. The real power of this program is the combined efforts of hundreds of book drives across the country.

Read more…

4 Comments » | Tagged Our Partners, Aaron King, Chase Community Giving, invisible children, Northern Uganda

Invisible Children Needs Your Vote!

Posted by admin on 01.19.2010 at 9:30 am

Chase Bank is giving away $5 million to various charities through its Community Giving program and our partner Invisible Children is in the running.    Check out the video to see how they’ll use the money!

Cast your vote AND help spread the word.

1 Comment » | Tagged Contests, Impact, Our Partners, Chase Community Giving, invisible children, Invisible Children Video