Photos have been removed from this issue because of a law in Kenya requiring strict documentation for photos and videos featuring school children.
In Jim Collins famous book “Good to Great” he talks about having a BHAG. So, what is a BHAG and what is the Libraries For Kids, Int'l BHAG. A BHAG is a BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOAL When we mailed our first books through the post office in August 2019 we were thinking small and envisioned shipping to a few schools. Erich Schmid and I were excited when we mailed books to the 9 th school. But, gradually, God expanded our thinking. We partnered with Book Distribution Partners and through them, we started shipping containers. Now, here we are 4 years later and we’ve: Shipped 15 containers Shipped over 600,000 books Put books in 6,223 rural schools in Kenya Impacted the lives of approximately 1,550,000 children not to mention their teachers, families, and communities.
Where do we go from here? I envision a worldwide ministry putting books in rural schools with limited resources to expand educational opportunities. If we can come this far in just 4 years, it is exciting to think what we can do in the next 4 years and beyond.
Short-Term BHAG: 20,000 rural schools in Kenya impacting 5 million children
Long-Term BHAG: 50 million children.
Are these BHAGs possible? Absolutely!! If we can reach 1.5 million children in just 4 years, we can reach these BHAGs. It will take a lot of work. Our organization will change over time as we grow. We will learn new ways of carrying out our mission. Some of our roles will change and we will have to get out of our comfort zones and learn new things. But, I have no doubt we can reach these BHAGs. I invite you to jump on the Libraries for Kids, Int'l BHAG train. Scroll down and you will see opportunities to help with your time, talent, experience, as well as financially.
A book in the hands of a child can make a huge difference in their lives and their communities. If you’ve read “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” you will understand how big a difference. One of my favorite school visit discussions was with a 13-yearold boy named Branmuu, a student at Mgagha Primary School in Kenya. I asked him what his favorite subject was and he replied “Science.” I then asked him how the books we had sent his schools had helped him and he replied “Before the books came, I was failing science.” He went on to say “Those encyclopedias have opened up the world to me.”
