New book prices are beyond the means of most people in Swaziland, and that is unlikely to change in the near future. We are therefore trying to make more books accessible to more people at a minimal cost, on an ongoing, long term basis.

The Mbabane Library Association is a small non-profit organisation, run by volunteers, which has been operating since 1927. The library is a subscription library (membership costing about US$30 per year), which limits the number of people who can afford to use it, so in January 2008, we we started a Book Exchange section. There is a token fee to exchange a book (approximately 20c per book). The income generated by the book exchange is used to employ someone to run it (currently only all day Wednesdays and half day Saturdays), and any excess is used to purchase more books.

The initial response to the Book Exchange was fairly slow, as the concept is new here in Swaziland. However, the usage has gradually increased, and we are now getting a broad range of people making use of the Book Exchange.

In mid 2008, we received a donation of about 900 books from a bookstore in Quebec (La Booktique, in Pointe Claire), and with assistance from private individuals to cover shipping costs, shipped them to Swaziland, arriving in December 2008. The shipment was very well received, bringing in a lot more people, and we are now looking to try and arrange more shipments, to provide more books on an ongoing basis.

We have been offered books by Wings of the Dawn in Fort Worth, Texas, who would donate a 40ft container load of books (approx 45 000 assorted books). If we are able to organise such a shipment, we would separate out books appropriate for schools and distribute them to rural schools in Swaziland via the Swaziland National Library Service. The balance of the books would be used as stock for the Book Exchange, which would provide fresh stock for the Book Exchange for two to four years. The estimated cost for this shipment is US$7,500 (40ft container).

Supporting this project would not only assist a broad cross-section of Swazis in the Mbabane area, giving them access to all kinds of books, it would also support rural school libraries, through the existing structure of the Swaziland National Library Service. Because we are operating with existing long-standing organisations, the long term sustainability of the project is much more likely, guaranteeing the Swazi people access to reading material into the future.

Kate Braun
Administrator