ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½

Mr. Yohannes Gebregeorgis of Ethiopia (center), one of ten CNN Heroes for 2008, tours the BFA warehouse in December 2008.

ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½ was honored to work in collaboration with a number of outstanding organizations to build and equip the first public library/community center in Garowe, Somalia (Puntland). A number of outstanding organizations' efforts have made this a huge success. Where previously there was nothing, there is now a vibrant library and community center used by the people of this region to read, and to meet for community discussions. This library complex has become a hub of activity in Garowe, which is what libraries are supposed to be! The library also offers public access to the Internet, which better connects the community with the global community.

In late June, Congressman Keith Ellison (MN) traveled to ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½ with five other members of Congress as part of his work for the House Democracy Assistance Commission (HDAC).

Students from the Msalato School For Girls in Dodoma, Tanzania, recently received books from ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½.

ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½ was pleased to host a delegation of ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½n journalists visiting under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program and the Minnesota International Center. Members of the delegation interacted with BFA staff regarding literacy trends in ÌÇÐÄvlgo´«Ã½, and how to improve book distribution systems. Countries represented in the delegation included Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Nigeria, Senegal, and Zimbabwe.