I have known Lubuto Library Partners for over a period of five years now and have been privileged to conduct an evaluation report on their behalf in the year 2017. Last year, 2018, my students, who were studying for Bachelor of Arts and Library and Information Science at the University of Zambia, conducted a survey of Lubuto Model Library titled An evaluation of children and youths usage of the Lubuto Model Library services. This was their fourth year project.

Lubuto libraries offer unique facilities, resources and services to our underprivileged children and youth. These libraries have proven to be safe havens where our children and youth are provided with opportunities to rediscover themselves, develop high self-esteem, get reconnected to their families, communities and education systems. The facilities, information resources, and services provided by Lubuto libraries are oases that satisfy the various needs of the children and youth, thus enabling them grow in all spheres of life including the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. The youth are empowered with survival skills which are critical in the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, high levels of unemployment, and increasing hostile environment.

Whenever I have an opportunity to visit a Lubuto library I marvel at the high degree of enthusiasm, passion, engagement, and enjoyment displayed by the children and youth; there is no room for idleness; there is no dull moment. How I wish every village and community in every corner of this country had a Lubuto library! Lubuto libraries are a national heritage and as such need to be cherished and supported.

I salute and highly commend the Lubuto staff for their unparalleled level of commitment and professionalism.

Lubuto changes children's lives.

I've seen first-hand the incredible impact that Lubuto makes on the lives of street kids. I poignantly remember a boy of about 10 living in an abandoned car with several other boys who were about 13. I met these boys during one of Lubuto's outreach walkabouts. We read to them and told them about the Lubuto library where they could participate in programs and find access to the help they needed to get off the streets. The older boys asked us to take the "little guy" to the library to help him. We did and we found him the help that he needed. A life changed.

I have known about Lubuto and supported its efforts for more than ten years and have serve on the Board for many of those years. The thing that sets Lubuto apart from many other organizations is the steadfast vision provided by Jane Meyers and translated into the myriad of Board members, volunteers, professional staff and those in advisory roles who work to support and extend that vision into practical, effective programs. While remaining true to the central vision of helping children, especially vulnerable at-risk children, use books, art, literacy and mentoring programs to reach their potential, Lubuto has been remarkably effective and flexible in adapting to opportunities and circumstances as they present themselves. Partnering with global, national and local programs to provide high quality libraries which model programs and behaviors that meet and exceed the highest standards found anywhere in the world.

The energy, optimism, quality and vision of Lubuto Library Partners is an exemplary model which can and should be exported widely across Africa and in other parts of the globe where the intrinsic power of libraries as a community resource can enact powerful change.

I have followed Lubuto since meeting Jane Kinney Meyers over 15 years ago and hearing about her plans which have since far exceeded my (and perhaps her) expectations. As a librarian with many years experience in international development I can well appreciate the desperate need for libraries like Lubuto's to help street kids in particular and the whole community to learn, feel connected, thrive, and be safe. I have been so impressed with the growth of the programs offered in the libraries and the number now constructed or planned. It is a great example of cooperation with the host communities. And unlike many development organizations Lubuto listens to the needs of the community and helps them to bring them to fruition vs. swooping in with preset plans. They don't just dump miscellaneous used books on them, but choose the books most needed and relevant and in the best condition. In communities decimated by HIV and poverty Lubuto is a bright light and the stories of the kids who have blossomed in the libraries are heartwarming. Lubuto operates with very low overhead and I am happy to be a sustaining (monthly) donor because I know that every penny goes to good use. If you love the power of reading and libraries, and/or have an interest in Africa or development please consider contributing to this very deserving NGO.

The AIDs epidemic in Africa has left so many children neglected - if their parents are alive and unable to care for them - or orphaned - if their parents have died. In addition, girls and disadvantaged youths are often ignored or held back for any number of reasons. Lubuto Libraries create a safe and caring environment for constructive learning. This is a necessity and thankfully Jane Kinney Myers and the Lubuto Library Partners are putting their hearts and souls into keeping this amazing organization alive and well for children and youth in need.

I am a development specialist working in the education sector and I have known of Lubuto since 2010. I first visited a Lubuto Library in 2011 and I was impressed with the concept and more so that they were located in the "belly" of a community whose needs they were serving. Over the years I have been impressed with the steady expansion of the organisation without losing its focus on the most need and vulnerable.

More recently, I have become a board member of Lubuto Library helping to strengthen the capacity of the team to manage the programme. This new role has given me insights into the nature of the organisation and particularly the work that volunteers do to raise funds to keep the work of Lubuto in Zambia going. This is humbling as the communities that are served would never have the opportunity to access the high quality services they receive. Lubuto is a development concept which awakens communities in slumber and gets them noticed.

For many years, I have been following Lubuto Library Partners' work remotely as an educationist and through my contacts with Jane. Now that I am working closely with them as the first chairperson for the Local Board, I have had the opportunity to look from the inside and see first hand and get deeper understanding of the amazing work they do. I find the LLP model to be unique in the sense that it is based on partnership with government and local communities for sustainability and cost effectiveness and that it targets excluded children such as those with disabilities, orphans and street children.
My first direct contact with the library was when we held the first meeting for the local board in the Ngwerere Library located at Ngwerere School right in the heart of the under resourced Garden township. I was awed by the number of children inside and around the library area, an indication that there was a force/magnet drawing the children to the area and going inside the library, there was no doubt in my mind as to why this was the case. The conducive and welcoming atmosphere reflected in the sparks in the children's eyes as they held books in their hands some of the them for the first time. In my interactions with the children, I learnt that most of the children came to the library because in addition to reading, they had an opportunity to work on a computer, listen to stories told in their local language, watch videos and to play and just be children. The libraries are therefore more than just places for reading. They are community centers providing safe spaces for programs to keep children out of mischief and a platform for keeping them in school. I am excited at the opportunity to chair the local board of this robust and credible organization which is contributing to reducing illiteracy and improving learning outcomes the reading culture of vulnerable children and youth. I congratulate the staff and the volunteers for their dedication and commitment to supporting the work of Lubuto.

Lubuto Library Project-Partners is a valuable initiative which provide access to information to the vulnerable children in Zambia who would under normal circumstances not have had a chance to gain access to information due to deteriorating library and educational services in Zambia. Lubuto provide this information by taking the information services to the door steps of such children. All Lubuto Public libraries are located in carefully selected places where they are needed most. I recently visited one of the Lubuto Libraries in Garden Compound in Lusaka and was thrilled by the conducive environment provided by the library to the young underleveraged children whom seemed to have been more at home at Lubuto Libraries than any other place. The young people were playing, reading and doing all sorts of activities which go a long way in improving their educational standards in the process keeping them away from illicit activities. It is not an exaggeration to say that Lubuto Library partners are indeed contributing to raising a responsible generation of young people in Zambia. Well done Jane for these services as Zambia looks forward to more such public libraries build.
Benson Njobvu
Past President of Library and Information Association of Zambia, Past Head of Department at the University of Zambia Department of Library and Information Science and currently Lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Zambia.

I have been supporting Lubuto Library Partners (LLP) for many years, and have become more aware of the breadth and scope of their activities as a Board member over the past two years. LLP supports many activities to reach the underserved and vulnerable children and adolescents in its libraries in Lusaka and rural Zambia. I continue to be amazed at the creativity of the LLP President, LLP staff and LLP organizations in Zambia as they implement new activities. For example, LLP uses the library as a meeting place to expose these children to their own culture (e.g. storytelling and literacy skills in seven local languages) and to new ideas with access to computers and computer skills. LLP has extended its reach to deaf children by offering sign language training so that deaf children are not left behind. LLP Mentoring Program provides opportunity for vulnerable Zambian children and adolescents to meet successful Zambian professional to help them to expand their horizons as to their future. I believe that the investments that LLP is making in Zambia are truly making a difference.

Lubuto Library Partners is an inspirational organization! Thoughout my five years on Lubuto's Board of Directors, I have been so impressed by Lubuto's unwavering commitment to serve vulnerable children by providing opportunities for kids to continue to grow, learn, and thrive. I am consistently awed by the deep respect for the rights of all children sits at the heart of Lubuto's mission. Thanks to Lubuto's dedicated and talented staff and volunteers, the libraries consistently offer high quality programs that meet the needs of the kids we serve - through carefully-designed books collections, participation in drama and art, and building computer skills. Lubuto means "light", and Lubuto changes lives.

Having volunteered at Lubuto Library Partners the past few months, it has be an amazing experience because i have had a chance to work on various activities which include my favorite hobby which is photography, i was given the opportunity to practice my photography by taking pictures at the various activities which happen not just at the library but also at schools where Lubuto had running programs. Aside from that i was given a chance to work with adolescent girls for a book club that happens at the Model Library. Lubuto gave me chance to learn how to work with a different computer program for data entry which in turn helped me acquire a new skill. Lubuto is doing an excellent job in improving literacy levels and among boys, girls and young mothers and allowing them to express themselves and become empowered and i am happy to be part of such a big project that continues to change the lives of people in communities and a learning process for me as an individual.

I have worked as a volunteer for Lubuto Library Partners under the DREAMS Family Literacy Program since May 2017, an experience I will cherish forever. As a fresh graduate with no prior work experience, I never thought that I would be given an opportunity to work as a volunteer for such a huge project. For the past one year, I have gained experience that I would probably have never gotten from any other organisation. Lubuto Library Partners is doing an amazing job in the lives of many young mothers who had lost hope after getting pregnant while in school. However, many of them now have the motivation they need to go back to school and finish their high school and all this is thanks to Lubuto Library Partners.

During a career break in 2009 I contacted Jane to enquire about volunteering opportunities. Within a few hours we were chatting on the phone and soon after I was on my way to Lusaka! I had the privilege to work in the Fountain of Hope branch (the only Lubuto library at the time) for a few months and witness first hand the impact of the programs on children's lives. Jane was (and still is) a visionary leader, and her passion is a common thread throughout the organization. Since 2009 I have been in awe of the successful growth and expansion of Lubuto Partners. The innovative ideas abound - Lubuto Libraries are right on trend with what we do in my area! This is an amazing nonprofit that is doing everything right. I support them since 2009 and continue with no hesitation every year because the important work they do is done so well.

The actual books are only the surface of Lubuto. Behind every book is a heaping respect for the needs of the children who read them. Every book that Lubuto offers is deliberately researched and chosen to match the developmental stages of the children. And Lubuto offers more than books, providing a community that responds to the interests and needs that present themselves.

I have been following Jane Meyer’s dream for her Lubuto Libraries almost from its inception. Her overarching concern from the start was to make her dream one that would blend in with Zambian culture. This included the staffing and other personnel resources, the architecture, the books and other media, the specific needs of the communities the libraries are serving. Education in many forms has also been a driving force and her accomplishments, and those of the skillful staff implementing all the creative ideas generated are reflected in the success of the children who avail themselves of all that is offered. One of my favorite outcomes is the current librarian working in one of the libraries who once was a student there—proof positive that the Lubuto Libraries are fulfilling the original dream of Jane Meyers. I am happy to be a donor and will continue to be as long as I can.

In their new book, Our Towns, James Fallows and Deborah Fallows write that "[in]side public libraries…you see the people, programs, problems, and answers that offer a genuine look in to the heart and soul of a town." This quote resonates when I think of Lubuto’s mission and the inspiring work it has done to strengthen and empower communities in Zambia. It’s been privilege these past few years to help bring the uplifting stories and images from Lubuto to an audience around the world and illuminate the common threads that unite us all.