I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3701 

To establish the More Books for Africa Program to facilitate the donation, 

processing, shipping, and distribution of text and library books to African 

schools, libraries, community centers, and other centers of learning in 

partnership with United States-based entities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 1, 2009 

Ms. MCCOLLUM introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish the More Books for Africa Program to facilitate 

the donation, processing, shipping, and distribution of 

text and library books to African schools, libraries, community centers, and other centers of learning in partnership with United States-based entities, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘More Books for Africa 

5 Act of 2009’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) The World Bank and other donor organiza4 tions have determined that next to a good teacher, 

5 a good school book is the best and most cost-effec6 tive means of advancing education in African 

7 schools. 

8 (2) The World Bank and other organizations 

9 have determined that there is a chronic shortage of 

10 text and library books in schools and libraries across 

11 Africa, with students left without books or forced to 

12 share books at a ratio of 10:1. 

13 (3) The countries of Africa have the world’s 

14 lowest literacy rates, undermining development and 

15 weakening citizens’ power to effect socioeconomic 

16 and political change. 

17 (4) Both the Millennium Development Goals 

18 and the Education For All initiatives target in19 creased literacy rates by 2015, especially among 

20 women and girls, as a key development goal in Afri21 ca and the developing world. 

22 (5) Most African children who attend school 

23 have never owned a book of their own. In many 

24 classrooms, 10–20 students share one textbook. 


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1 (6) Every year of education has been shown to 

2 raise a person’s income potential by at least 10 per3 cent. 

4 (7) In sub-Saharan Africa, 43.5 percent of the 

5 total population is under 14 years old. 

6 (8) Books and labor to pack these books are 

7 currently being donated by citizens across the 

8 United States to assist in literacy efforts in Africa. 

9 (9) 22,000 books can be shipped in one cargo 

10 container and delivered to Africa for an average cost 

11 of $11,000. 

12 (10) Not-for-profit organizations, through the 

13 use of donated books and labor from United States 

14 citizens, as well as cash donations, have been able to 

15 ship a donated book to Africa for only 50 cents per 

16 book, resulting in tremendous cost-efficiency in a 

17 time of budget challenges. 

18 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

19 It is the sense of Congress that— 

20 (1) the availability of textbooks and library 

21 books is a critical component of the massive invest22 ment by the United States in primary, secondary, 

23 higher, and adult community education; and 


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1 (2) the donation of textbooks and library books 

2 is a powerful tool of public diplomacy and important 

3 to United States national security. 

4 SEC. 4. MORE BOOKS FOR AFRICA PROGRAM. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—The Adminis6 trator of the United States Agency for International De7 velopment (USAID), in consultation with the Basic Edu8 cation Program administered by USAID, shall establish 

9 and administer a program to be known as the ‘‘More 

10 Books for Africa Program’’ (in this Act referred to as the 

11 ‘‘Program’’) to facilitate the donation, processing, ship12 ping, and distribution of not fewer than 3,000,000 text 

13 and library books per year to African schools, libraries, 

14 community centers, and other centers of learning in part15 nership with United States-based entities. 

16 (b) DONATIONS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—All text and library books 

18 sent to Africa through the Program may come only 

19 from unrestricted donations from citizens, not-for20 profits, educational institutions, libraries, and pri21 vate companies. 

22 (A) INITIATIVE.—The Program shall focus on 

23 the donation and distribution of text and library 

24 books pertaining to law and democracy, health and 


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1 medicine, science and math, and other pertinent sub2 ject specific areas. 

3 (c) QUALITY OF BOOKS.—Donated text and library 

4 books shall be evaluated based on— 

5 (1) presence of an attached cover and all pages 

6 relevant to the subject matter of such books; 

7 (2) condition of book cover and pages, such 

8 that the cover and all pages shall have no major rips 

9 or stains; and 

10 (3) legibility of text, such that all text should 

11 be legible. 

12 (d) UNITED STATES-BASED PARTNERSHIPS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Program shall encour14 age partnerships with faith-based organizations, 

15 community organizations, K–12 educational institu16 tions, and private companies in the United States 

17 for the purpose of leveraging funds and collecting 

18 donated text and library books. 

19 (2) DONATION AND SHIPMENT.—The Program 

20 shall help United States entities referred to in para21 graph (1) sponsor the donation and shipment of text 

22 and library books to communities in Africa and fos23 ter cross-cultural relations between such commu24 nities. 


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1 (3) VOLUNTEERS.—The Program shall leverage 

2 the work of volunteers in the collection of donated 

3 text and library books and the preparation of such 

4 book shipments. 

5 (e) AFRICA-BASED PARTNERSHIPS.— 

6 (1) MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION.—The Program 

7 shall encourage partnerships with African ministries 

8 of education (or similar) to aid in the identification 

9 and distribution of text and library books to commu10 nities in need. 

11 (2) UNITED STATES AMBASSADORS.—The Pro12 gram shall encourage United States Ambassadors to 

13 African countries to make the establishment of li14 braries and donations of text and library books to 

15 schools on behalf of the United States a priority in 

16 their work and in the use of the Ambassador’s Spe17 cial Self-Help Program. 

18 (3) PEACE CORPS.—The Program shall leverage 

19 the work in Africa of the Peace Corps and its volun20 teers in the distribution of text and library books to 

21 communities in Africa. 

22 (4) NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS.—The 

23 Program shall encourage partnerships with local Af24 rican nongovernmental organizations and community 


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1 organizations to aid in the distribution of text and 

2 library books. 

3 (5) LITERACY ORGANIZATIONS.—The Program 

4 shall encourage collaboration with African literacy 

5 organizations to provide training of librarians and 

6 teachers in text and library book use, distribution of 

7 such books to in-country locations, and clearance of 

8 such book containers from port locations. 

9 (f) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts appropriated pur11 suant to the authorization of appropriations in sec12 tion 6 may be used to cover the following costs asso13 ciated with the Program: 

14 (A) Collection and processing of donated 

15 text and library books. 

16 (B) Shipping such books to Africa. 

17 (C) Distribution of such books. 

18 (D) Establishing partnerships in accord19 ance with subsections (d) and (e). 

20 (2) PROHIBITIONS.— 

21 (A) PURCHASE AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

22 Amounts authorized to be appropriated pursu23 ant to section 6 to carry out the Program may 

24 not be used for the purchase or development of 

25 text and library books under the Program. 


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1 (B) AMOUNTS.—The cost for collecting, 

2 processing, shipping, and distributing text and 

3 library books under the Program may not ex4 ceed $750 per 1,000 books. 

5 (g) MONITORING AND EVALUATION.— 

6 (1) SAFEGUARDS.—The Administrator of 

7 USAID shall establish safeguards to ensure that 

8 text and library books donated under the Program 

9 are not resold on the African market. 

10 (2) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 

11 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

12 State shall submit to Congress a report on the Pro13 gram . The report shall describe— 

14 (A) the number of text and library books 

15 donated under the Program; 

16 (B) the use of text and library books do17 nated under the Program; 

18 (C) the entities receiving text and library 

19 books donated under the Program, including 

20 end recipients and any intermediary entities in21 volved in such book distribution within African 

22 countries; and 

23 (D) the participation of the Ambassador’s 

24 Special Self-Help Program, including a list of 

25 participating USAID missions. 


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1 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of 

3 USAID $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 

4 2014 for purposes of establishing and implementing the 

5 Program. 

Æ 


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