Cara Condodina recently made possible the establishment of three libraries in rural Africa as part of the African Library Project.
WATCHUNG - Thanks to Cara Condodina, libraries in Africa will be filled with educational books for children to enjoy for years to come.
The Westfield resident and incoming junior at Mount Saint Mary Academy in recently made possible the establishment of three libraries in rural Africa as part of the African Library Project, according to a news release. The non-profit organization develops libraries throughout the continent through volunteers in the United States that organize book drives.
Motivated by the story of a 16-year-old girl in Lesotho, Africa, who had little inspiration to learn and do well in school, Condodina was thrilled to discover that the youngster's perspective changed after her school received a new library from the project.
Condodina explained that the African Library Project calls upon volunteers to collect 1,000 gently used children's books and to raise $500 to pay for shipping-related expenses. Each volunteer is matched with a partner in Africa that will receive the books from their drive. After the books arrive at a warehouse in Africa and are distributed by volunteers in the area, a new library is developed.
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"Around December 2015, I was looking for some small service work to do for the holiday season," explained Condodina. "My sisters and I had always loved to read and a club at school was holding a book drive, so I decided that having my own book drive would be a good idea."
Soon after, Condodina held a book drive at the Mount for Moving Star School in Ghana - her first library project -- to set up a primary/junior high school library consisting of preschool through sixth grade level books.
"Ghana has one of the highest school attendance rates in Africa, with 82 percent of school-aged children in school," she said. "However, this means that about half a million children are still not in school, primarily because of a lack of resources. By sending books and teaching resources to school in Ghana, we are helping to further increase the amount of children that will receive an education.
"From there, the potential and opportunities for that child are much greater."
The Pulane Methodist Primary School in Lesotho was Condodina's second library project, benefitting the small country which she described as "very underdeveloped due to low industrial projection and little natural resources.
To date, her efforts have helped established three libraries, since she has collected over 3,000 books.
"The true reward of this project is not just knowing that I completed a task that many doubted I could, but that in the process I may have bettered the lives of children in Africa," Condodina said. "Compared to past personal accomplishments, doing these projects has meant more because I have accomplished things for more than just myself.
"And while I am giving to the schools in Africa, I feel that I am also receiving in the way of knowing the impact of my work."