How One Bookshelf Changed Someone's Life
- Jerrica Halim
- 12m
- 3 min read
This is a community called Alito Sub County in Northern Uganda. And this is their drinking water.
That's one of many reasons why kids struggle to stay in school, because they must collect infectious water from under a bridge instead of being a child.
Girls become teenage mothers at the age of 13, children drop out, and 4th grade students can barely read.
This wasn’t always the case; many years ago, this area had strong schools, and students who became leaders.
Why did things change? Because the community went through a terrible war led by a rebel group called the LRA.
Schools were destroyed, families were separated, and many kids had to hide or run.
Even today, the effects of the war are still hurting the community.
But two siblings who grew up in Alito Sub County decided to help.
They started small: they put a simple bookshelf in their parents’ home.
Kids from the neighborhood came to read, play games, and learn together on weekends.
That little bookshelf became a safe space… and then it grew into something much bigger.
Today, that tiny idea is now The Meraki Action Initiative—a local group working to help teens get healthcare, support young girls, and bring reading and education back into the schools.
It’s a reminder that big change can start with one small act of kindness. |
Now meet Susan, a 6th-grade girl at Abim Primary School. (Susan isn’t her real name, but her story is real.)
For a long time, school was very hard for her.
Her grades were low, she felt embarrassed, and she even thought about giving up school completely.
Her mom told her that maybe she should drop out and go learn tailoring instead.
But everything changed when Susan joined the community reading club founded by the two siblings.
In the reading club, Susan met other kids her age. They read simple stories together, played games, and helped each other learn.
Soon, she started to feel more confident.
She even learned how to study better and balance school with helping her family at home.
Her grades slowly went up. Her mom started believing in her again. And Susan began believing in herself.
Today, Susan is working hard to finish primary school. She dreams of going to secondary school and becoming a nurse so she can help people in her community.
All of this started from one small thing:💛 A safe space where kids could read and feel supported.
And this one bookshelf completely changed Susan's future.
So, our hope is that you realize how big ONE thought, ONE decision, and ONE action can be.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
You won't get to your destination thinking of faster ways to get there if you haven't even started walking yet.
Just take your first step. |
✨ Kindness Alliance Highlight: Meraki Action Initiative
We're partnering with organizations from all around the world who are helping underserved communities.
We're so happy to partner with Meraki Action Initiative in our Kindness Alliance.
Ever since their origin story above, they've been expanding their reach:
🩺 Health: Teaching reproductive health, preventing teen pregnancy, and supporting GBV survivors. 📚 Education: Mentorship, reading clubs, debating clubs, and teacher support to keep kids in school. 🌱 Climate Action: Tree planting, clean energy education, and climate-awareness programs. ⚖️ Gender Equality: Preventing child marriage and GBV, uplifting girls, and mentoring boys to avoid risky behaviors.
Check out their website for more!
Together with The Kind Power, they are:
• Building 5 Community Reading Hubs • Providing books, uniforms, pencils, and school fees. • Delivering dignity kits, reusable sanitary pads so girls never miss school again. • Supporting child protection to reduce teen pregnancy and abuse.
If you are able to donate, please help in any way that you can!
Your donation will go directly to these young children, and your one act can keep a young girl in school or put a book in a child's hands for the first time.
$10 (less than one lunch) can buy a set of books. $25 can sponsor a child’s school supplies. $100 can help build a community reading hub.
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