Niclette Mundabi wanted to do something special for her birthday, so the Atlanta resident coordinated a shipment of up to 45,000 French-language books to French-speaking students in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
She raised $20,000 in shipping costs through the Atlanta-based nonprofit Books for Africa.
Mundabi was born in the DRC and still has family there. When the books arrived in June, Mundabi was there to work with partners to help distribute them. She visited libraries and primary schools for children in grades pre-K through third. The rollout of books continued into the fall.
“We’re at the end of the distribution, but still making sure that all the schools get the books,” Mundabi said just before making another trip in November.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Educational needs in the Congo are significant, as children have little access to French-language books. More than half of school-age girls dropped out of school during the pandemic and never returned, Mundabi said.
“I’m hoping my container will fill in some of those (educational) gaps that are left behind,” she said.
To ensure a successful transfer of the books, Mundabi worked closely with the Bythiah Project, a nonprofit based in the capital city of Kinshasa that works with youth and education.
Mundabi, 38, also wanted to send the books to honor her grandmother, who was required to marry at age 12 and never finished her education.
“It always resonated with me because of how highly she valued education, and even being able to read, she was so proud of herself,” Mundabi said.
Books also served as a companion for Mundabi growing up. Her family left the DNC when Mundabi was 6, settling in Johannesburg, South Africa, and then immigrating to the U.S. and metro Atlanta when she was a teenager.
“I was privileged to be able to leave the Congo and travel with my family, but I want to afford the same type of access through books to children,” she said.
While this was the first book shipment for Mundabi, it won’t be the last, she said. She plans to continue sending books to the Congo through Books for Africa and develop partners to send computers.
“We need computer-literate citizens, and that would be one way in which I would love to evolve this project,” she said. “I’m determined to make sure that resources are available to Congolese children to help them better themselves in the ways that I have been able to develop myself because of the access I’ve had.”
Books for Africa is the largest shipper of donated text and library books to the African continent. In 2024, the nonprofit reached its goal of sending more than 16 million books. Mundabi serves on the Books for Africa board and recently started a consulting company for social impact strategies to those doing business in South Africa.
HOW TO HELP
If you’re interested in volunteering or donating to Books for Africa, go to booksforafrica.org.
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