November 7, 2002
Books For Freedom’s first ever Kickoff Fundraising Mixer will be held on November 7, 2002 in New York City at Zanzibar to raise funds for a second shipment of books to Afghanistan.
October 31, 2002
Press Release
Books for Freedom?s First Shipment of 20,000 Books Arrives in Afghanistan
New York-based non-profit collected and donated professional and educational books to Afghanistan; gearing up for second donation with fundraiser Nov. 7 in New York
September 7, 2002
Books For Freedom received The 2002 Shelley A. Marshall Award for The Enrichment of The Human Spirit on September 7, 2002 at the First Annual Shelly A Marshall Gala Fundraising Event.
USA Today, July 25, 2002
Many Americans donated money and blood to victims and their families after Sept. 11. Some also donated money to aid groups working in Afghanistan. But when Melissa Street heard a Jan. 17 report on National Public Radio by Anne Garrels about the devastated National Library of Afghanistan, something inside her clicked.
ARCHIVED NEWS
July 11, 2002
Press Release
Books for Freedom Launched to Promote Literacy and Education in AfghanistanOver 20,000 books leaving the United States Destined for National Library in Afghanistan New York Times, February 2002
NPR, July 5, 2002
NPR interviews President of Books For Freedom, Melissa Street, and Books Committee Chairman, Michael Whidden to hear how Books For Freedom began and their mission,
Books for Freedom Launched to Promote Literacy and Education in Afghanistan
Over 20,000 books leaving the United States Destined for National Library in Afghanistan
NEW YORK, N.Y.,July 11, 2002
by Kimberly Trudel
Books for Freedom, a non-profit organization working to collect and send desperately needed professional and educational books to Afghanistan, today announced its first shipment of over 20,000 volumes, departing the United States destined for the National Library in Kabul. The mission of Books for Freedom is to support the development of library systems and enhance the public availability of books in developing nations and, in particular, Afghanistan, by providing books and other similar reading-based materials and resources in order to promote literacy, the freedoms of speech and thought, and the free exchange of ideas.
Decades of war and repressive Taliban policies have decimated the National Library and contributed to the alarmingly low literacy rate in Afghanistan. The National Library of Afghanistan is one of the few buildings still standing in Kabul. However, books are in short supply. A grass-roots group of like-minded individuals have spearheaded the collection and delivery of thousands of engineering, legal, agriculture, medical, and literature books, to name a few.
?Books for Freedom hopes to aide in reconstructing the country of Afghanistan by helping to create a better way of life for many Afghan men, women, and children of all ages by supplying them with books which will help them increase their knowledge and expand their minds,? said Melissa Street, President and Founder of Books for Freedom. Support for the group?s effort has been overwhelmingly positive. Corporate and institutional donors have provided books, facilities, and other donations. Those making donations include 12,000 volumes from John Wiley & Sons, a textbook publisher in New York City; The Fordham University School of Law, contributing another 2,000 books; the estate of Mohammad Ali Jazayery, the late founder of the University of Texas Middle East Studies Department, has pledged upward of 4,000 titles; Dorsey Trailers has generously paid for the first shipment of books to go from a New Jersey port to Kabul, Afghanistan.
“Books for Freedom is a remarkable example of effective grass roots response to the urgent need for books in devastated Afghanistan. My colleagues at the Association of American Publishers are urging U.S. publishers and all concerned citizens to join in this major effort to bring books to libraries and schools in Afghanistan.” Jeri Laber, Director, International Freedom to Publish Committee, Association of American Publishers.
?I became involved with Books for Freedom when I was approached after making a speech at the Asia Society about a recent trip to Afghanistan. Melissa and her team asked me if I could help them find a contact in Kabul to meet the shipment of books when it arrived. I was delighted to be in a position to help, and I gave Melissa the contact information for Nilufar Shuja, an Afghan American who had repatriated to Kabul to help reconstruction efforts. For me, Books for Freedom is exactly the type of initiative that private citizens should be engaged in right now. Any efforts to promote knowledge will increase the chances of building a democratic self-determined state in Afghanistan.? Nicola Armacost, Network Linkage and Learning Manager, Women?s World Bank.
Books for Freedom is collecting books in English, French, and German, as well as the predominant Afghan languages of Farsi, Pashto, and Arabic. All types of books are sought to rebuild the nation?s infrastructure and secure peace and stability. Among the subjects needed are agriculture, architecture, business, engineering, law, and medicine, as well as children?s books, secondary educational texts, crafts guides and newspapers or magazines about current news, business, and science. See www.BooksForFreedom.org for information on contributing books or making donations.
ABOUT BOOKS FOR FREEDOM
The idea for Books for Freedom first began on January 17, 2002 when NPR aired a report from Anne Garrels on the National Library of Afghanistan. Garrels reported that much of the library?s contents have been destroyed over the years of war and strife in Kabul. Most of the books have been stolen and sold, the paper torn out and used to wrap food. Among the collection of current books in the library are a few of Lenin?s works and books on US foreign policy from 1962. There is no heat or electricity. Due to lack of power and funds the library is only open a couple of hours a day. Its no wonder that only 30% of the population of Afghanistan is able to read and write.
The response to Garrels report was amazing. The e-mails streamed in from people who wanted to donate books, money and time. Melissa Street, and her father, Chriss Street, who had both heard the NPR report, wanted to collect books and send them to Afghanistan. They connected with Anne Garrels, who in turn, connected them with others who wanted to help. They realized an organization was needed to bring people together to accomplish the task of sending books to Afghanistan. Thus, Books for Freedom began. On February 10, 2002 the New York Times published an article by John Burns that generated much of the same reaction. It spoke of women getting back into the classrooms at Kabul University. The article ended with the University?s chief librarian, Muhammad Sadiq Wadid sending out a plea to Western countries for books. Again, there was a huge response from this article and people who wanted to help were connected with Books for Freedom. Our aim is to collect books for libraries and schools in Afghanistan. We have a comprehensive list of the types of books that are needed and in what languages. See www.BooksForFreedom.org for information on contributing books or making donations.
Contact:
Kimberly Trudel
Books for Freedom
2002 Shelley A. Marshall Award
?Books For Freedom received The 2002 Shelley A. Marshall Award for The Enrichment of The Human Spirit on September 7, 2002 at the First Annual Shelly A Marshall Gala Fundraising Event? Donn Marshall (Founder of The Shelley A. Foundations) had these words to say about Books for Freedom:?When I heard and read about what your organization was doing, I was tremendously impressed both with your effort and the thought behind it. “… To promote literacy, the freedoms of speech and thought, and the free exchange of ideas,” will be the key, not just to winning the war on terrorism, but in ? quite literally ? making the world a better place. Thoreau once said something along the lines of “There are a thousand philanthropists hacking at the branches of evil and injustice, but only a few who strike at its roots.” You are striking at the roots.?Donn Marshall had this to say about the organization he started in remembrance of his wife whose life was taken at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001: ?While there are many charities that clothe and feed a body, the Shelley A. Marshall Foundation?s activities are designed to inspire and enrich the spirit by stimulating creativity and compassion ? to make lives extraordinary. The short-term goal is simple: to bring a smile to someone?s face; the long-term goal is more ambitious: to change the world one person at a time.?
To find out more about the Shelly A Foundation, visit: http://www.shelleysfoundation.org/