An organization that was founded to bring libraries to developing countries has branched out to start helping communities in need a little closer to home.
Bonnie Sutherland, a North Delta resident and retired teacher, established Afretech Aid Society in Delta in 1992. Its primary goal is to equip libraries in developing countries to give children and youths the resources they need to be successful.
The group receives books donated from schools and libraries, organizes and packs them, and then ships them to villages in developing countries. A few volunteers, known as the Library Response Team, go along to set up the library.
Sutherland, who is also president of Rotary World Help and a member of the North Delta Rotary Club, said she came up with the idea after traveling to Africa with her husband.
The couple visited a small school that had little in the way of books and supplies, she said, so she decided something needed to be done.
In addition to gathering donated books, the society also raises money to pay for proper shelving, tables and benches.
The group started its work in Africa but has since expanded into Asia. The latest addition to the program has the volunteers working right here at home.
In 2012, Afretech and the Library Response Team teamed up with the Write to Read project to help establish libraries in First Nations communities.
Write to Read is a partnership of organizations with a shared interest in increasing the literacy level among aboriginal people in B.C. Nine libraries, beginning with the Halalt Library near Chemainus, are already up and running, and the group has requests for 10 more.
"As fast as we finish them, we get more," Sutherland said.
The group's work is done completely by volunteers and all of the money raised goes into communities and projects.
To make a donation, visit https://www.canadahelps. org/en/charities/afretechaid-society.
