SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The World Bank and other donor organiza-
tions have determined that next to a good teacher, 
a good school book is the best and most cost-effec-
tive means of advancing education in African 
schools. 
(2) The World Bank and other organizations 
have determined that there is a chronic shortage of 
text and library books in schools and libraries across 
Africa, with students left without books or forced to 
share books at a ratio of 10:1. 
(3) The countries of Africa have the world’s 
lowest literacy rates, undermining development and 
weakening citizens’ power to effect socioeconomic 
and political change. 
(4) Both the Millennium Development Goals 
and the Education For All initiatives target in-
creased literacy rates by 2015, especially among 
women and girls, as a key development goal in Afri-
ca and the developing world. 
(5) Most African children who attend school 
have never owned a book of their own. In many 
classrooms, 10–20 students share one textbook. 
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(6) Every year of education has been shown to 
raise a person’s income potential by at least 10 per-
cent. 
(7) In sub-Saharan Africa, 43.5 percent of the 
total population is under 14 years old. 
(8) Books and labor to pack these books are 
currently being donated by citizens across the 
United States to assist in literacy efforts in Africa. 
(9) 22,000 books can be shipped in one cargo 
container and delivered to Africa for an average cost 
of $11,000. 
(10) Not-for-profit organizations, through the 
use of donated books and labor from United States 
citizens, as well as cash donations, have been able to 
ship a donated book to Africa for only 50 cents per 
book, resulting in tremendous cost-efficiency in a 
time of budget challenges. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the availability of textbooks and library 
books is a critical component of the massive invest-
ment by the United States in primary, secondary, 
higher, and adult community education; and 
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(2) the donation of textbooks and library books 
is a powerful tool of public diplomacy and important 
to United States national security. 
SEC. 4. MORE BOOKS FOR AFRICA PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—The Adminis-
trator of the United States Agency for International De-
velopment (USAID), in consultation with the Basic Edu-
cation Program administered by USAID, shall establish 
and administer a program to be known as the ‘‘More 
Books for Africa Program’’ (in this Act referred to as the 
‘‘Program’’) to facilitate the donation, processing, ship-
ping, and distribution of not fewer than 3,000,000 text 
and library books per year to African schools, libraries, 
community centers, and other centers of learning in part-
nership with United States-based entities. 
(b) DONATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—All text and library books 
sent to Africa through the Program may come only 
from unrestricted donations from citizens, not-for- 
profits, educational institutions, libraries, and pri-
vate companies. 
(A) INITIATIVE.—The Program shall focus on 
the donation and distribution of text and library 
books pertaining to law and democracy, health and 
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medicine, science and math, and other pertinent sub-
ject specific areas. 
(c) QUALITY OF BOOKS.—Donated text and library 
books shall be evaluated based on— 
(1) presence of an attached cover and all pages 
relevant to the subject matter of such books; 
(2) condition of book cover and pages, such 
that the cover and all pages shall have no major rips 
or stains; and 
(3) legibility of text, such that all text should 
be legible. 
(d) UNITED STATES-BASED PARTNERSHIPS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Program shall encour-
age partnerships with faith-based organizations, 
community organizations, K–12 educational institu-
tions, and private companies in the United States 
for the purpose of leveraging funds and collecting 
donated text and library books. 
(2) DONATION AND SHIPMENT.—The Program 
shall help United States entities referred to in para-
graph (1) sponsor the donation and shipment of text 
and library books to communities in Africa and fos-
ter cross-cultural relations between such commu-
nities. 
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(3) VOLUNTEERS.—The Program shall leverage 
the work of volunteers in the collection of donated 
text and library books and the preparation of such 
book shipments. 
(e) AFRICA-BASED PARTNERSHIPS.— 
(1) MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION.—The Program 
shall encourage partnerships with African ministries 
of education (or similar) to aid in the identification 
and distribution of text and library books to commu-
nities in need. 
(2) UNITED STATES AMBASSADORS.—The Pro-
gram shall encourage United States Ambassadors to 
African countries to make the establishment of li-
braries and donations of text and library books to 
schools on behalf of the United States a priority in 
their work and in the use of the Ambassador’s Spe-
cial Self-Help Program. 
(3) PEACE CORPS.—The Program shall leverage 
the work in Africa of the Peace Corps and its volun-
teers in the distribution of text and library books to 
communities in Africa. 
(4) NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS.—The 
Program shall encourage partnerships with local Af-
rican nongovernmental organizations and community 
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organizations to aid in the distribution of text and 
library books. 
(5) LITERACY ORGANIZATIONS.—The Program 
shall encourage collaboration with African literacy 
organizations to provide training of librarians and 
teachers in text and library book use, distribution of 
such books to in-country locations, and clearance of 
such book containers from port locations. 
(f) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts appropriated pur-
suant to the authorization of appropriations in sec-
tion 6 may be used to cover the following costs asso-
ciated with the Program: 
(A) Collection and processing of donated 
text and library books. 
(B) Shipping such books to Africa. 
(C) Distribution of such books. 
(D) Establishing partnerships in accord-
ance with subsections (d) and (e). 
(2) PROHIBITIONS.— 
(A) PURCHASE
AND
DEVELOPMENT.— 
Amounts authorized to be appropriated pursu-
ant to section 6 to carry out the Program may 
not be used for the purchase or development of 
text and library books under the Program. 
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(B) AMOUNTS.—The cost for collecting, 
processing, shipping, and distributing text and 
library books under the Program may not ex-
ceed $750 per 1,000 books. 
(g) MONITORING AND EVALUATION.— 
(1) 
SAFEGUARDS.—The 
Administrator 
of 
USAID shall establish safeguards to ensure that 
text and library books donated under the Program 
are not resold on the African market. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
State shall submit to Congress a report on the Pro-
gram . The report shall describe— 
(A) the number of text and library books 
donated under the Program; 
(B) the use of text and library books do-
nated under the Program; 
(C) the entities receiving text and library 
books donated under the Program, including 
end recipients and any intermediary entities in-
volved in such book distribution within African 
countries; and 
(D) the participation of the Ambassador’s 
Special Self-Help Program, including a list of 
participating USAID missions. 
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(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of 
USAID $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 
2014 for purposes of establishing and implementing the 
Program. 
Æ 
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