On April 14th, we hosted a roundtable discussion with the Embassy of Finland at the Model Library on how public library services promote reading and are a crucial complement to public schooling.

Panelists at the roundtable included Finnish Ambassador Saana Halinen, Lubuto Founder & President Jane Kinney Meyers, Lusaka Mayor Chilando Chitangala, Mandevu Member of Parliament Christopher Shakafuswa, Director of Primary Education at the Ministry of Education Felix Ngoma, Head of the Department of Library and Information Services at the University of Zambia Abel M’kulima, Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden Christina Wedekull and Child Protection Technical Specialist at Save the Children Katongo Mwansa.

Before the program, Lubuto’s Director of Operations Hadassah Kasukumya led tours of the library for nearly 50 attendees, where children and parents shared why the library—and especially its books—were important to them. The program opened with Hadassah's welcome and introduction of Jane, whose remarks were both on film and live via Zoom.

Jane noted the transformative importance that raising expectations about the role public libraries can play in addressing educational challenges: "Two-thirds of Zambia’s population is younger than 25. More than half of Zambia’s children cannot read and understand a short age-appropriate text by the end of primary school. We need to change this urgently. Providing effective library services for children will be a critical component of doing so."

She went on to point out that "when we started Lubuto Library Partners over 25 years ago, it was based on an experience that showed that public libraries could support children in going beyond the constraints their local environment put on them. In the ensuing period, we have learned a lot from the communities and their children that we serve….We hope that you can see this library as a change from the status quo that provides a vital component in a Zambian literacy breakthrough."

"From the beginning, Lubuto Library Partners' objective was to learn about how free public library services for children could meet the needs of Zambian communities. Public libraries are a public good. They are the province of the people – and good library services for children, like those that you have seen today, are needed across Zambia. After 25 years, we have done what we can in demonstrating possibilities and impact, and, working with the wonderful faculty of the Library and Information Services Department at UNZA and the Ministry of Education, we have tried to communicate their importance. By the end of 2027, Lubuto Library Partners will start winding down our U.S. operations. This sets a critical target for the transition of the organization to a fully Zambian entity, and we need your help."

The ensuing discussion reinforced important policy, funding and partnership considerations to strengthen public libraries in Zambia. When she summarized the discussion, Ambassador Halinen pointed out that the Zambian Ministry of Education had made a commitment to support the advancement of public library services and that she was sure that Lubuto Library Partners will keep that moving forward. Now we are poised to proceed in partnership with them to address the Ministry's mandate.