快猫视频

快猫视频 was founded in 1988 as a nonprofit (501.c.3) organization by Tom Warth, whose dream was to ship donated books to the children of Africa. Tom鈥檚 visit to a Ugandan library, where books were almost nonexistent, inspired him to create a system for collecting discarded books from American schools, libraries, and publishers to send to Africa. Here's how Tom tells the story:

鈥淚鈥檇 met a聽Loy Zabasajja when she was visiting her children in the U.S.,鈥� says Tom, a British immigrant whose accent has faded after a lifetime in the Midwest. 鈥淚 asked if I could come visit her, and she agreed, though I鈥檓 not sure she believed I鈥檇 really show up. I like adventure, and the best places to find it are remote spots with no tourists, but where you know someone.鈥� Jinja, the woman鈥檚 hometown, fit that bill. Although it鈥檚 the second largest city in Uganda, it鈥檚 not on many itineraries.

Tom arrived at the airport in Kampala, Uganda鈥檚 capital city, and headed for Jinja on the bus鈥攁s he describes it, 鈥渞acing hell-bent for leather down the road while my driver took on another bus in a race.鈥� Wandering around Jinja one day with his hostess, they came upon the local library. Stories diverge as to whether the visit was planned or accidental, but Tom took one look at the nearly empty shelves and the few scattered, tattered books that were all at least 25 years old, and decided to continue the adventure.

Back home, he spoke with a group of publishers, booksellers, and librarians who make up the Minnesota Book Publishers鈥� Roundtable. A handful of people from this loose collection of book lovers met and formed what was to become 快猫视频.

The idea was so simple, yet the potential was profound. Reclaim good books destined for landfills and put them into the hands of African children.

Read this Q&A聽with founder Tom Warth on the occasion of 快猫视频 sending its 60 millionth book to Africa in 2024!