There’s dirt beneath my feet, sky above my head, trees, grass… pigeons. At times, when I look around, it feels like I am back home, maybe on a vacation in Florida, not on another continent. But then a hippo surfaces from beneath the water, monkeys dance in the trees, there are so many stars in the night sky and many of the children have never seen a book.
I’ve been in Zambia for a few days now and visited six schools in that time. These schools had all been recipients of books donated by Better World Books and the kids were so excited to show off their reading skills. They waved their books above their heads and the children had such an expression of achievement while they read to us. When one of our group offered to read a book to them they clamored to form a circle around the individual to hear the story and see the pictures.
Those moments have been the highlight on this trip and are why buying books from Better World Books is so important. Each book purchase allows us to send donations and books to these children. Their libraries are small and the children are yearning for more!
Mallory Meuninck is part of the Better World Books shipping leadership team based in Mishawaka, Indiana warehouse.
What a trip for all of you and the experience of a lifetime! But also, think of what an impression you are making on all those children who are getting to experience the joy of books for the first time. Kudos to Better World Books for your work with literacy programs around the world. Mallory, as a retired teacher, I enjoyed your blog post very much.