Support Our Libraries

Fundraising Goal

$27,000 by April 2026

to sustain and expand our libraries

Your Donation Makes a Difference

$6
Buys new paint for students who visit 2+ times/week to paint
$8
Puts one more Ugandan curriculum book (the most requested book) on our shelves
$25
Average operating cost for 1 day of 1 library's activities
$10/month
Provides weekly literacy classes for kids
$36/month
Provides Wifi to one library
$80/month
Funds mobile libraries for 4 remote locations and 2 primary schools

Why Are Libraries Essential for Refugees?

Schools are struggling with overcrowding (300 students to 1 teacher) and lack of space for reading. Many people don't have smartphones, data, or access to bookstores in the camps. Education has been severely disrupted by war and poverty, particularly affecting South Sudanese refugees who make up 95% of our visitors. Our libraries provide crucial access to books and learning resources that schools and families cannot provide.

Students studying and learning together
Community members and students together

Our Goals

  • Guarantee that learning continues despite challenges with formal education, displacement, and poverty
  • Expand access to books and creative activities with a physical library space and mobile activities
  • Provide an additional educational space to existing schools and NGO/non-profit programs
  • Shape new futures for refugees and Ugandan nationals by creating a culture of independent learning, literacy, and creative exploration

Our Impact

Our 2 libraries support learners in Uganda's Imvepi and Rhino refugee settlements (>200,000 people), where schools are struggling and most people don't have books, internet, or learning materials at home. These are the only community libraries in the area with free book borrowing, literacy classes, and creative activities.

800+

People reached at main locations

150+

Mobile library readers

2,000+

Books in circulation

8

Library staff trained

100% of Your Donations Support

Books, Equipment, Furniture

Staff + Facilitator Stipends

All are local refugees or Ugandans

5+ Weekly Activities + 4 Mobile Libraries

"When you now have the knowledge to read and write, it's better for you to teach yourself ... It can build you faster than waiting for teachers."

— Enock, our friend and carpenter who constructed our shelf (Imvepi)

Knowledge is power, and knowledge is peace.

We hope to build the futures of Uganda, South Sudan, and refugees in Rhino & Imvepi camps.

Our Partners

CLH is implemented by Hope Rising South Sudan (HoRiSS), Youth Social Advocacy Team (YSAT) Uganda, and Lulu Tian, with the support of Hope Foundation Uganda and UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency).

Creative Learning Haven (CLH) started in January 2025