Saturday 23 June 2012

Making new tracks with our latest Book Bus

Our latest Book Bus in Africa became a reality thanks to the fundraising efforts of 20 employees from the Google office in London who raised £12,000 in sponsorship by climbing Mt Toubkal in Morocco. 

We purchased the vehicle in Zimbabwe where it had seen previous service as a safari truck with Exodus Expeditions. Now in Zambia and resplendent in its new Quentin Blake livery the truck has become a Book Bus called "Matilda". Matilda can carry 3,000 books, 12 volunteers and camping equipment to support its crew in the field for weeks at a time.

Since joining the Book Bus fleet in April Matilda has taken volunteer crews to five schools in Livingstone, delivered 1,000 books to the public library in Chingola, and is currently working with five schools in Mfuwe in the remote South Luangwa Valley. Matilda will be working at the UNHCR Meheba refugee settlement in Zambia in August and will cross to work in Malawi later in the year.

You can support Matilda by joining her as a volunteer or by donating funds to help the Book Bus keep her fit and well for the journeys that lie ahead.