Books for Freedom Launched to Promote Literacy and Education in Afghanistan; More Than 20,000 Books Leaving the United States Destined for National Library in Afghanistan.

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Books for Freedom, a non-profit organization working to collect and send desperately needed professional and educational books to Afghanistan, today announced its first shipment of more than 20,000 volumes, departing the United States destined for the National Library in Kabul.

The mission of Books for Freedom is to support the development of library systems and enhance the public availability of books in developing nations and, in particular, Afghanistan, by providing books and other similar reading-based materials and resources in order to promote literacy, the freedoms of speech and thought, and the free exchange of ideas.

Decades of war and repressive Taliban policies have decimated the National Library and contributed to the alarmingly low literacy rate in Afghanistan. The National Library of Afghanistan is one of the few buildings still standing in Kabul. However, books are in short supply.

A grass-roots group of like-minded individuals have spearheaded the collection and delivery of thousands of engineering, legal, agriculture, medical and literature books, to name a few.

"Books for Freedom hopes to aide in reconstructing the country of Afghanistan by helping to create a better way of life for many Afghan men, women and children of all ages by supplying them with books which will help them increase their knowledge and expand their minds," said Melissa Street, president and founder of Books for Freedom.

Support for the group's effort has been overwhelmingly positive. Corporate and institutional donors have provided books, facilities and other donations.

Those making donations include 12,000 volumes from John Wiley & Sons, a textbook publisher in New York City; The Fordham University School of Law, contributing another 2,000 books; the estate of Mohammad Ali Jazayery, the late founder of the University of Texas Middle East Studies Department, has pledged upward of 4,000 titles; Dorsey Trailers has generously paid for the first shipment of books to go from a New Jersey port to Kabul.

"Books for Freedom is a remarkable example of a effective grass- roots response to the urgent need for books in devastated Afghanistan. My colleagues at the Association of American Publishers are urging U.S. publishers and all concerned citizens to join in this major effort to bring books to libraries and schools in Afghanistan," said Jeri Laber, director, International Freedom to Publish Committee, Association of American Publishers.

"I became involved with Books for Freedom when I was approached after making a speech at the Asia Society about a recent trip to Afghanistan. Melissa and her team asked me if I could help them find a contact in Kabul to meet the shipment of books when it arrived. I was delighted to be in a position to help and I gave Melissa the contact information for Nilufar Shuja, an Afghan American who had repatriated to Kabul to help reconstruction efforts.

"For me, Books for Freedom is exactly the type of initiative that private citizens should be engaged in right now. Any efforts to promote knowledge will increase the chances of building a democratic self-determined state in Afghanistan," said Nicola Armacost, network linkage and learning manager, Women's World Bank.

Books for Freedom is collecting books in English, French and German, as well as the predominant Afghan languages of Farsi, Pashto and Arabic. All types of books are sought to rebuild the nation's infrastructure and secure peace and stability.

Among the subjects needed are agriculture, architecture, business, engineering, law and medicine, as well as children's books, secondary educational texts, crafts guides and newspapers or magazines about current news, business and science. See www.BooksForFreedom.org for information on contributing books or making donations.

About Books for Freedom

The idea for Books for Freedom first began on Jan. 17, 2002, when NPR aired a report from Anne Garrels on the National Library of Afghanistan. Garrels reported that much of the library's contents have been destroyed over the years of war and strife in Kabul. Most of the books have been stolen and sold, the paper torn out and used to wrap food.

Among the collection of current books in the library are a few of Lenin's works and books on U.S. foreign policy from 1962. There is no heat or electricity. Due to lack of power and funds the library is only open a couple of hours a day. It's no wonder that only 30% of the population of Afghanistan is able to read and write.

The response to Garrels report was amazing. The e-mails streamed in from people who wanted to donate books, money and time. Melissa Street, and her father, Chriss Street, who had both heard the NPR report, wanted to collect books and send them to Afghanistan.

They connected with Garrels, who in turn connected them with others who wanted to help. They realized an organization was needed to bring people together to accomplish the task of sending books to Afghanistan. Thus, Books for Freedom began.

On Feb. 10, 2002, the New York Times published an article by John Burns that generated much of the same reaction. It spoke of women getting back into the classrooms at Kabul University. The article ended with the University's chief librarian, Muhammad Sadiq Wadid sending out a plea to Western countries for books. Again, there was a huge response from this article and people who wanted to help were connected with Books for Freedom.

Their aim is to collect books for libraries and schools in Afghanistan. They have a comprehensive list of the types of books that are needed and in what languages. See www.BooksForFreedom.org for information on contributing books or making donations.