Starting Libraries in Uganda's refugee camps

Every $3 gets a book onto a library shelf.

Every $10 can buy 10 meals for refugee volunteers.

Meet Our Project in Imvepi [video]

Radio Uganda Broadcast [video]

My name is Lulu Tian, and I am a documentary filmmaker working with MIT D-Lab to document projects in Uganda's Rhino and Imvepi Refugee Camps. I spent over a month in Uganda this fall and heard a clear need for books and libraries while speaking with various community members. I am collaborating with my friends Otim (in Rhino) and Peter (in Imvepi, leader of Hope Rising South Sudan) to start a pilot library project in Imvepi and Rhino settlements to make books and educational materials more accessible. This project is separate from D-Lab's work and we are relying on grassroots fundraising to make it possible.

If you are able, we would appreciate any amount of your donation to help make this project possible. I will be returning to Uganda in January to work with YSAT Uganda, Kulika Uganda, and MIT D-Lab, and plan to start the libraries at the same time.

Some background: There is just one public library between the two settlements, and it is difficult to access. Schools in the settlements have libraries, but many are not in school. In 2017, there were over 45,000 youths age 6-17 in Imvepi and over 50,000 in Rhino. Around 80% of this population in Imvepi were out of school. In Rhino, 67% were out of school (Ministry of Education and Sports, Uganda). Residents in Imvepi and Rhino settlements have fled conflicts in countries like South Sudan and the Congo, and many have lived in Uganda for years now. Here’s a video about the Beyond Creative Capacity Building program in Uganda that trains people to design machines and build businesses.

D-Lab has been working with Uganda's Rhino and Imvepi Refugee Settlements for several years now with a focus on empowerment through engineering and design (Creative Capacity Building).

Community members are especially interested in the following genres: picture books, self-help, entrepreneurship, poetry, art, science/tech, literature, biography.

Our goal: I will bring book and materials donations to Rhino and Imvepi in January 2025. Our first goals are to distribute the materials to both camps, securely house the books, and launch 1 pilot library in each Rhino and Imvepi, with activities to engage the community. We will monitor and evaluate this pilot project to then expand the library project.

Our ask: This is a spontaneous passion project, and we are working from scratch with no funding. We are currently collecting donations for books in-person in Massachusetts, and we will start bringing books over and setting up the libraries in Uganda in January - April 2025. If you are able, we are asking for your support for the costs we expect to incur in the process. We might not be able to realize our simple vision without you.

Your donations will help fund:

I am the team's accountant. Otim and Peter are managing logistics on the ground in the settlements. All donated funds will be kept in a personal account, fairly distributed, and used 100% for the library project. Any excess funding will be saved, and we will develop a plan to ensure that all funding is used for the benefit of the community.

We are beyond grateful for your support and attention to this project! As we set up the libraries, we also hope to create something that acknowledges and updates everybody who supported the project. Thank you so so much!

Social Media graphics, if you'd like to share: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ROi-jBof95pO-UitZBn5S_X0Er3rk_8X?usp=sharing