Hi!

I'm Ella. I'm one of the kids who had the idea for The Mbife Foundation in the first place. Well we asked mum for a library and we got so much more!

Here's what I want you to know: books changed everything for me.

When I read stories with girls who looked like me, I felt seen — like I wasn't invisible in the world of stories, like my life was worth writing about too.

Books made me feel important, like my ideas actually mattered, not just grown-up ideas.

They made me creative — I didn't just read stories, I started making up my own.

And they made me a stronger student, because once you love reading, everything else at school gets a little easier.

Now I want every child in The Gambia to have what I got to have — a library, cool books, people who read to them, and a place that feels like it was made just for them.

That takes more than books.

Here's everything we actually need:

Books — for our libraries and our classroom shelves.

Partnerships — schools, mosques, churches, businesses — if you've got a space or an idea, we want to build with you.

Space — a room, a corner, a wall. That's all a library really needs to start.

Funds — for books, shelves, art supplies, and running our programs every week.

Writers — we want to support people who write stories for kids like us, especially stories that sound like home.

Book fairs — help us throw one. Kids deserve a whole day just for books.

Shelves — so every book we get has somewhere to live.

Art supplies — because reading and creativity go together, always.

Any of it helps. All of it matters.

If you believe kids deserve this too, get in touch. We'll find the right way for you to be part of it.

Mariama is great on the phone and Blessing on email. You can also ask for mum or me.. we can meet you at one of the libraries for a chat.. because everything starts with a conversation.

Big hugs,

Ella

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