Beyond the buildings…

Watch the May 27th ALA IRRT chat with Jane Meyers and Given Besa to learn what role you can play in

strengthening the human resources that sustain Lubuto Library services - beyond the buildings and books

Recording of May 27 chat

On Sunday April 11, 2021, the Reading Room at the Lubuto Library Partners Model Library in Lusaka went up in flames, under suspicious circumstances. The library, which was opened by Zambia's first Republican President in 2010, and whose construction was funded by Dow Jones & Co., had been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and, as a result, no one was injured by the fire.

Prior to the pandemic, the library was open to all youth and children in the community without charge, and provided access to an extensive collection of books and programs, including literacy, mentoring, film showings, arts, sign-language storytimes, drama and, of course, reading. The library was well-loved by the children that we served, many of whom visited as often as they could. Prior to the pandemic, the library received an average of 2,500 visits per week.

Our first concern is for the children served by the library, who had been looking forward to its reopening. While we are still in the process of reviewing the damage, we are committed to building back the library better than ever, and reopening as quickly as feasible.

The operations of other Lubuto libraries, at the Mthunzi Centre in peri-urban Lusaka, and in Nabukuyu, in Zambia’s rural Southern Province, are not affected by the fire. A new Lubuto Youth Library is scheduled to open in Choma in the near future and another is under construction at the Comboni Social Development Center in Lusaka – both constructions supported by USAID’s American Schools and Hospitals Abroad program.

We thank members of the community for their expressions of concern and well-wishes.