Start A Library Trust

10/09/2026

It’s getting heated at City Primary!

Today’s book club session has taken an exciting turn. We have a debate and the motion on the table is 'Talking to strangers is good.'

Learners have taken their sides, arguments are flying, and there is plenty of energy in the room as everyone works to defend their position.

And there was a special surprise too! Our partners from Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) joined us for today’s activity, jumping right into the debate alongside the proposers. We’re so glad to have them here, sharing in the fun and learning with us.

Now the big question is who will take the title home? Is it the proposers or the opposers?

Iskanchi Press & Mag Aga Khan Development Network

09/09/2026

This afternoon, our office was with grade 6 learners at Baraka Comprehensive School, where the energy in the room was impossible to miss.

It was boys versus girls in a spelling bee challenge held as part of our International Literacy Week celebrations, and the learners came ready. Every time a learner stood up to spell, the room seemed to hold its breath. You could see the anticipation on their faces as they listened to each word, followed by a sigh of relief and loud cheers when it was spelled correctly. When a word proved too difficult, the reaction was just as clear, with disappointed faces and a few groans from the team. For every word, the whole room was invested in getting it right.

What stood out was that they were not simply spelling the words. They knew what they meant. They had encountered them in the stories they were reading and could bring that knowledge into the room with confidence. That is the power of literacy.

This year’s International Literacy Day theme, “Literacy for People, the Planet and Prosperity,” reminds us that literacy is more than the ability to read and write. It gives people the knowledge, confidence and skills to understand the world around them and participate meaningfully in it. We saw that come alive today.

There is something deeply fulfilling about watching children discover that there is so much waiting for them in a book, and that nothing in a book has to remain hidden from an African child.

Masana wa Afrika GO Campaign Library Aid Africa

08/09/2026

How many words can you make from INTERNATIONAL?

We’re taking the anagram challenge into schools today, and we want to see what our young readers can come up with. Schools, teachers and learners, join in! Share your word lists with us and tag . Let’s see who can find the most!

08/09/2026

Happy International Literacy Day!

Today, we celebrate literacy as a pathway to a better future, for people, for our planet and for shared prosperity. And who better to remind us of its power than the children whose lives are shaped by the joy of reading, learning and dreaming?

Here’s to a world where every child has the opportunity to read, learn and thrive.

Kenya Connect Rainbow Room Foundation UNESCO GO Campaign Masana wa Afrika The Library of Congress CivFund Wangari -The Storyteller KBC Channel 1 TV The Nobelity Project

07/09/2026

What a way to kick off International Literacy Week!

The judges had a really tough decision to make on Saturday. All four finalists, Busara Comprehensive School, Mbagathi Comprehensive School, Kihumbuini Primary and Junior School and Joseph Apudo Comprehensive School, came prepared.

They argued their points with knowledge, confidence and conviction, and the depth of the conversations left us impressed. It was clear that the learners had done their research and were ready to defend their positions from either side of the debate.

After a closely contested final, Busara Comprehensive School took the day, with Mbagathi Comprehensive School as 1st runners-up and Kihumbuini Primary and Junior School as 2nd runners-up. Joseph Apudo Comprehensive School also gave an impressive performance, making it a memorable final for all four teams.

Congratulations to all four schools! While a competition must have rankings, the real value of the day was in what every learner gained: greater confidence, stronger communication skills, the ability to listen to different perspectives and the courage to defend an idea.

A special thank you to Goethe-Institut Nairobi for partnering with us to make this experience possible and for going the extra mile to ensure our learners were well supported and able to fully enjoy the day. Your generosity and commitment to creating meaningful learning experiences for children made a real difference.

To our judges, Sagar Malde, Nyapara Wanjiku and Trizah Baraka, thank you for answering our call and making time in your busy schedules. Beyond judging the debate, you shared your knowledge, experiences and life lessons with our learners, helping them become better debaters and more confident thinkers. These are skills that will serve them well beyond school.

And to the teachers and parents, thank you for being such an important part of making this possible. From preparing and coordinating the teams to encouraging the learners and supporting them throughout the process, your efforts mattered. We truly appreciate the time and commitment you gave to this experience.

And finally, to our learners, thank you for showing up, doing the work and giving us a debate to remember. You made us proud!

EdTech East Africa GO Campaign The Nobelity Project Kenya Connect Rainbow Room Foundation Library Aid Africa Lily Moraa Eric Obar

05/09/2026

Meet the panel behind today’s Inter-School Debate Finals!

At the judges’ table today:

Sagar Malde — CEO of TruFoods Limited, bringing his experience in leadership and business to the panel.

Nyapara Wanjiku — EdTech Summits Lead at EdTech East Africa, bringing her passion for education and creating spaces where young voices can be heard.

Trizah Baraka — Deputy Head of Institution at Heshima Road Primary School, bringing her experience and perspective as an education leader.

The big question is, which school will take home the trophy?🏆

The debates are underway!

EdTech East Africa GO Campaign Goethe-Institut Nairobi

05/09/2026

We have officially begun our International Literacy Week celebrations! And what better way to kick things off than with the Inter-Debate Finals?

Four schools have made it to the final round: Mbagathi Primary, Busara Primary, Joseph Apudo Primary and Old Kihumbuini Primary.

The teams are ready. The cheering squads are bringing the energy. And our judges are eager to see what these young debaters have in store.

One trophy. One title. Four determined teams.

Which school will take the day? Stay tuned!

Masana wa Afrika Kenya Connect Gratitude Network The Nobelity Project Rainbow Room Foundation Akili Dada Goethe-Institut Nairobi

04/09/2026

Children are growing up in a world where knowing what is safe and what isn't matters more than ever. But how do we prepare them for situations they may not yet know how to recognize?

Jesse recently shared that his favourite book in the library is The Lollipop Stranger. When asked what the story has taught him, he says, quite simply, that he should not accept gifts from strangers. This is a reminder of why children need access to books that speak to different parts of their lives and the world around them.

Stories can give children opportunities to think about things they may encounter in life such as safety, trust, boundaries, relationships, difficult choices and knowing when to speak to someone they trust.

And these are not conversations we can afford to leave to chance. Between January 2025 and March 2026, Kenya recorded 1,952 child abduction cases and 1,636 cases involving missing children. Globally, children accounted for 38% of detected trafficking victims in 2022.

Helping children understand the world around them is a shared responsibility. Parents, relatives, teachers and communities all have a role to play. So does ensuring that children have access to books that introduce them to these important conversations.

This is why we do what we do to make sure more children have access to books that help them read, think, explore and understand the world around them. And we cannot do it alone.

If you believe every child deserves access to the right books, we invite you to support us in making that possible. Reach out to us at [email protected] for partnerships or give a learner access to books by donating here: https://give-usa.keela.co/start-a-library-donate-page

Library Aid Africa CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL ALUMNI KBC Channel 1 TV Mama Hope Gratitude Network Akili Dada Rainbow Room Foundation

03/09/2026

Lexy has always wanted to become a doctor.

Now in Grade 7 at City Primary School, she has spent the past five years reading books from the school library and finding ones that help her learn more about the career she hopes to pursue.

Her favourite is Matter. Lexy says the book has helped her understand more about how to engage with patients in a hospital, something she hopes will be useful when she becomes a doctor.

What stands out is that Lexy already knows what she wants to become. The library simply gives her more opportunities to read, ask questions and learn about the world she hopes to enter.

And Lexy is one of many.

Across Kenya, there are children with their own dreams of who they would like to become. Access to the right books can help them learn more about those interests and give them knowledge they can carry with them as they grow.

You can help make that access possible.

For Ksh 500 ($3.86), you can adopt a learner by purchasing a book that could help them discover something new about the future they are already dreaming about.

Donate here to make that possible: https://give-usa.keela.co/start-a-library-donate-page

Kenya Connect Rainbow Room Foundation Masana wa Afrika Gratitude Network CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL ALUMNI Goethe-Institut Nairobi The Library of Congress

02/09/2026

Your community is your resource.

This is one of the things our partnership with The New Africa Fund has taught us and it has changed the way we look at the communities we work with.

We have always believed that communities should be at the heart of the work. But through our partnership with NAF, we began to look beyond seeing communities simply as recipients. We started asking: what resources, ideas and possibilities are already within the community?

We had the opportunity to put this into practice through a matching fund campaign for a library. We went back to our community to raise funds, and in just 30 days, they came through with $12,863.

The New Africa Fund matched what we raised, and together, we established library #319 at Nzou Muonza Comprehensive School.

That changed something for us.

It showed us what can happen when communities are trusted to contribute to the solutions they need, and when a funder is willing to come alongside what is already happening rather than simply bringing the resources in.

There is much more to this story, and we are glad to share it in The New Africa Fund’s latest grantee spotlight.

Follow our journey with New Africa Fund and watch the full story on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AvPF1wjoRC8?feature=shared

Library Aid Africa Gratitude Network Kenya Connect Rainbow Room Foundation The Nobelity Project GO Campaign The Library of Congress Masana wa Afrika

Kick off International Literacy Month with us! We sat down with Eve...