Building Len's Legacy with Books!
Donation protected
When Len Mailloux passed away in mid-November, he was still working on a project started about a year ago to collect and send books for the first ever public library in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Over the past year Len and Simmons students have been collecting books from the community to fill this library. We have about 60 big boxes full of books. Now, we need to ship them. We have kickstarted this campaign with a 24-hour Pledge-Athon and memorial by Simmons College Radio, The Shark. Your donation will help us, Len’s students at Simmons College, send these books where they need to be.
WHAT:
In the past year, students at Simmons College have been working on this project with Len, Congolese activist Fidel Bafilemba as well as activist and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Paul Freedman. You can meet Bafilemba here. Freedman’s most recent film, “Merci Congo,” tracks the sourcing of conflict minerals from the DRC’s eastern region and involves activists here and in Congo. His work in the DRC with Bafilemba motivated him to bring this project back home and coordinate with others to make this library possible.
WHY:
Though the DRC constitution guarantees every child an education, political unrest and crumbling infrastructure has meant most children are not educated and have little to no access to resources. The eastern region of the DRC has seen some of the worst conflict, with armed rebel groups occupying lucrative mines and exploiting laboring families by forcing them to work for little money in horrible conditions and without protection. The average literacy rate in the DRC is 63.8%. Bafilemba believes an educated population is a population that can make a real difference, and his commitment to this library project stems from a desire to bring accessible education to the eastern region of the DRC.
HOW:
The current DRC government has characteristics of authoritarian rule, and has shown a disregard for the care and safety of Congolese citizens. This is why we are not shipping the books over box by box, but rather collecting all materials in a large storage container that will be shipped overseas, rivers and lands to the eastern region of the DRC. This will make it more difficult for government officials to confiscate any of the educational materials being sent over. Once there, the shipping container itself will be used in building the library structure. This shipping container has already been purchased and is residing at Paul Freedman’s house in Los Angeles. This is where we will be shipping the boxes, and why we need your help!
Though the original goal of this project was just to build a traditional learning library, this project has gotten even bigger, now collecting more electronic materials with multiple schools and activists involved. You can learn more about the origins of the project, the project partners, and how to donate books and materials on the official project website.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about this project and, perhaps, donate! Your support is not only promoting access to education in the DRC, it is spreading and building Len’s legacy of education and, of course, courageous communication.
WHAT:
In the past year, students at Simmons College have been working on this project with Len, Congolese activist Fidel Bafilemba as well as activist and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Paul Freedman. You can meet Bafilemba here. Freedman’s most recent film, “Merci Congo,” tracks the sourcing of conflict minerals from the DRC’s eastern region and involves activists here and in Congo. His work in the DRC with Bafilemba motivated him to bring this project back home and coordinate with others to make this library possible.
WHY:
Though the DRC constitution guarantees every child an education, political unrest and crumbling infrastructure has meant most children are not educated and have little to no access to resources. The eastern region of the DRC has seen some of the worst conflict, with armed rebel groups occupying lucrative mines and exploiting laboring families by forcing them to work for little money in horrible conditions and without protection. The average literacy rate in the DRC is 63.8%. Bafilemba believes an educated population is a population that can make a real difference, and his commitment to this library project stems from a desire to bring accessible education to the eastern region of the DRC.
HOW:
The current DRC government has characteristics of authoritarian rule, and has shown a disregard for the care and safety of Congolese citizens. This is why we are not shipping the books over box by box, but rather collecting all materials in a large storage container that will be shipped overseas, rivers and lands to the eastern region of the DRC. This will make it more difficult for government officials to confiscate any of the educational materials being sent over. Once there, the shipping container itself will be used in building the library structure. This shipping container has already been purchased and is residing at Paul Freedman’s house in Los Angeles. This is where we will be shipping the boxes, and why we need your help!
Though the original goal of this project was just to build a traditional learning library, this project has gotten even bigger, now collecting more electronic materials with multiple schools and activists involved. You can learn more about the origins of the project, the project partners, and how to donate books and materials on the official project website.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about this project and, perhaps, donate! Your support is not only promoting access to education in the DRC, it is spreading and building Len’s legacy of education and, of course, courageous communication.
Organizer and beneficiary
Dannie Annie
Organizer
Boston, MA
Danielle Annecston
Beneficiary