Promising Pages Pilot Initiative: Borrow Books for Free

The Promising Pages Pilot Initiative (PPPI) is an initiative that facilitates access to second-hand books in Namibian communities.

The little library movement is one that may be familiar to those who have been overseas and seen small cabinets in public areas such as parks, where people can ‘take a book, read a book, return a book’ for free.

In October last year, with the help of kind supporters, PPPI set up its first site at the Hakahana offices of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia. The ultimate goal – if that pilot proved successful – was to launch similar facilities countrywide.

PPPI investigated other sites, hoping to reach many more potential readers, while waiting to see how the Hakahana site fared. In the meantime, boxes of donated resources were also distributed to individuals who were already offering reading material in under-served communities – such as the intrepid missionary Joel Tjombe, who runs an informal community library at Okahandja.

As people downsize or rationalise their storage spaces, PPPI has been able to maintain an inventory of second-hand books from a wide range of genres as word got out that they were willing to take delivery of any kind of reading material.

PPPI has now processed more than 5 000 individual items in just over a year, also receiving posters, environmental magazines and annual reports from conservation non-governmental organisations (NGO) – pictorial resources useful for pupils’ homework and classroom activities. However, they remain in need of children’s books as these are in great demand, as are shelves or cabinets.

The news from the inaugural Hakahana site proved encouraging: not only were visitors borrowing books and taking magazines for school projects, they were also donating reading matter from home that they no longer wanted. Thus, the shelves at this site were supplied with an ever-changing rotation of books, including textbooks and study guides – which can be expensive to buy new.

By mid-2025, the two little libraries at the University of Namibia’s main campus were also being re-stocked by students and staff as they took books that interested them and added replacement volumes to augment the existing stock. This is – of course – exactly how the concept is designed to work!

To date, PPPI has contributed reading matter to eight sites – either supplementing existing libraries such as the one at Mammadu Welcome Centre, Otjomuise, or enabling brand new ones to be established. In the coming weeks, sites at Rehoboth, Maltahöhe and Groot Aub will receive their first consignments as well.

However, it was always hoped that a receptacle specifically designed to make access available 24/7 could be installed at a suitable site – one not locked up outside working hours. In June, this became a reality with the opening of the PPPI little library outside the premises of Physically Active Youth (PAY) at Bondel Street, Katutura.

Students from Windhoek International School renovated an upcycled cabinet as part of the mandatory ‘creativity, activity, service’ component of the international baccalaureate diploma, assisted by staff members, then fixed it on a wall outside PAY’s gate under a canopy so that the books inside would be protected from the elements.

PAY office administrator Justina Shikongo says: “The PPPI is more than just a space for exchanging books, it’s a growing movement aimed at cultivating a strong reading culture in Namibia.”

“Situated in the Multipurpose Youth Centre, the library benefits from a high volume of daily foot traffic, attracting people from diverse backgrounds. As this initiative takes root, there is great anticipation to see how the community will respond and engage with this dynamic addition to the local literary landscape,” Shikongo says.

As the number and reach of supported sites continues to expand, PPPI is looking for a driven individual to take the pilot initiative to the next level by registering it as an NGO to source funding, helping it grow and achieve sustainability.

If your community would like to receive books from PPPI, or donate them, then get in touch with Mel Kelly at 081 1271741 or Anita Witt at 081 122 6063

– Author Mel Kelly launched PPPI in 2024.

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