Our Friends

Our Home: The Barn, Springbank Secondary College

We are based at The Barn, Gate 2, Springbank Secondary College, Daws Road, Pasadena South Australia.

Project Partners:  We collaborate with these key organisations in Lesotho to achieve our objectives.

TRANSFORMATION RESOURCE CENTRE (TRC)

TRC is a Non-Government Organisation (NGO); a Lesotho ecumenical social justice organisation based in Maseru, the capital. One of the many services TRC offers is a library which focuses on social justice issues; it is often packed with university students.

The Librarian at TRC in 2004 was Me Mosa Muso. Mosa told the Books for Lesotho founders, David and Liz Linn, that she had a dream to put a library into every school in Lesotho, but the project needed a sponsor. That, in essence, was the motivation that had the first shipment of books on 4 pallets delivered to TRC in 2007. Unfortunately, Covid has taken Mosa from us – a wonderful person, gone.

The 17th shipment to TRC (of 7 pallets – 105 boxes holding about 18,00 books) was shipped in December 2023 to about 14 primary schools, 315 high schools and 2 libraries in institutions.

ROTARY CLUB OF MALOTI (RCOMAL)

In 2017, Books for Lesotho added a second partner to the project, the Rotary Club of Maloti, also based in Maseru.

In early 2018 Books for Lesotho delivered the first load of 4 pallets of books (9,115 books) to the RCoMal. The 7th shipment, dispatched in May 2024, held about 13,000 books. (Total sent – 17,750 books.)

ROTARY CLUB OF MANTSOPA (RCOMAN)

In 2022, another partner was added to the project, namely, the Rotary Club of Mantsopa. The first shipment to RCoMan was despatched in June 2022 and contained around 7,000 books. The 3rd shipment is due to leave Adelaide during June 2024.

PROJECT SUMMARY

The total number of books shipped between 2007 and May 2024 stands at 308, 989 with a total transport cost of approx. AUD$130,000 – all paid for by donations.

Over 236 schools, institutions and communities have used the books to start their first library or, in some cases, they have added to their existing library.

Supporters in Australia

  • Adelaide High School
  • Adelaide Hills Council – Adelaide Hills Library Service
  • Angaston and Districts Lions Club including Book Shed
  • Ardrossan Primary School
  • Blackwood Book Exchange
  • Chris McEvoy of Preschem (Australia) Pty Ltd – in Melbourne, Victoria
  • City of Marion Library
  • City of Mitcham – Mitcham SA Library Service
  • City of Onkaparinga – The Hub Library
  • Clovelly Primary School
  • Concordia College
  • Coomandook Area School
  • Cornerstone College
  • East Adelaide Primary School
  • Echunga Primary School
  • George Hassell Book Club
  • Gladstone Primary School (SA)
  • Hallett Cove East Primary School
  • Highgate Primary School
  • Immanuel College – donate during “Book Week”
  • Lang Foundation – made significant financial donations in 2019 and 2024
  • Lions Club of Glenside – Bookmart
  • Loreto College (Adelaide)
  • Marryatville High School
  • Mitcham Motor Garage – from various sources
  • Mitcham Over 50s Exercise Group
  • Meadows Op Shop
  • Mylor Primary School
  • Morphett Vale Primary School
  • Mount Barker Primary School (SA)
  • Red Cross Superstore – St Marys
  • Red Geranium Op Shop – supporting “Medecins Sans Frontieres”
  • Redwood Park Primary School
  • Roma Mitchell College
  • Rosary School, Prospect
  • Rotary Club of Blackwood – Book Exchange
  • Rotary Club of Kidman Park – Bookshop
  • Rotary Club of Mitcham (SA) – Second-hand Bookshop
  • Reynella East Primary School
  • Save the Children
  • Scotch College
  • Seymour College
  • Sheidow Park Primary School
  • South Pacific School Aid (SPSA) – a long-term supplier of books
  • St Columba’s Anglican Church, Hawthorn (SA) – after the annual fete
  • St Dominic’s Priory College
  • St Johns Grammar
  • St Ignatius College, Senior and Junior Schools
  • St Peter’s Woodlands Grammar School
  • Thomas Moore College
  • Town of Walkerville – Walkerville Library
  • Woodcroft Primary School
  • Woodend Primary School