Chris Bradshaw ships books to Africa to help make the impossible possible
Chris Bradshaw wants to know how your life would be different if you had never had access to books when you were young. Sit with that question for a moment. Personally, I find it chilling to think about the abyss this would have created in my own childhood, and how not having books would be a major handicap to one鈥檚 creativity, education, and emotional expression.
In 2004, Chris was traveling through the landlocked southern African nation of Lesotho when she learned that the country had only a single library. The seed was planted, and in 2005 Chris founded the , an organization dedicated to building libraries and distributing children鈥檚 books throughout the continent of Africa.
Today, her organization has shipped 1 million books overseas and built 1,000 libraries in nine different countries (check out from The Huffington Post and from What Gives 365 to learn more).
Chris is no stranger to doing good. For 10 years she was a YMCA executive, directing camps and conference centers in Indiana, California, and North Carolina. She also worked with nonprofits serving the homeless, children of war-torn countries, a soup kitchen, and home-schooling education and support services. I truly admire her adventurous spirit and her drive to educate and inspire. Here鈥檚 to you Chris, and here鈥檚 to a million more donated books!
1. IN JUST ONE SENTENCE, WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE?聽Glad you are starting with an easy one! I want to live fully and use my gifts to help equalize some of the inherent injustices聽in the world 鈥� for starters.
2. HOW HAS THIS WORK CHANGED YOU?聽Now I鈥檓 more optimistic about humanity.聽I work with聽hardworking, compassionate people from North America and Africa who are acting on their convictions to improve the planet, and that is a source of daily inspiration. On the other hand, living with one foot in the developed world and one foot in the developing world makes me less tolerant of complaints about trivial inconveniences.
3. WHAT DO YOU GET FROM GIVING? I definitely get more than I give 鈥� a sense that I and others like me can help create a better world filled with meaningful personal relationships.
4. WHO IS A LIVING HERO FOR YOU AND WHAT WOULD YOU ASK THEM IF GIVEN THE CHANCE? I want to ask Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, Nelson Mandela, and Aung San Suu Kyi: 聽What is your 鈥渟elf talk鈥� when you know that your toughest decisions will inevitably hurt perfectly lovely people?
5. WHAT EVERYDAY RESOURCES COULD HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR PHILANTHROPIC GOALS? 听闯耻蝉迟听! 聽We鈥檝e created a system where Americans and Canadians can start a library in Africa. Each book drive organizer collects 1,000 gently used children鈥檚 books, raises about $500 to cover the costs of shipping, and expends some elbow grease to sort, pack, and mail them. 聽1,000 books + $500 = 1聽. 聽It鈥檚 easier than you think.
6. WHAT IS A BURNING QUESTION THAT YOU HAVE FOR THIS COMMUNITY?聽How would your life be different if you had never had access to books?
7. WHAT WOULD THE TITLE OF YOUR BOOK BE? "Changing Lives, Book by Book"
8. TELL US SOMETHING YOU RARELY SHARE IN PUBLIC?聽Now in the second half of life, I鈥檝e聽become obsessed with playing basketball.
9. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHERS WHO ASPIRE TO BE CITIZEN PHILANTHROPISTS?聽Dream big, start small, and keep at it. Include others in the process, and you will have given even more.
10. WHAT QUESTION DO YOU WISH I HAD ASKED, AND WHAT IS THE ANSWER?聽Why are you focusing on library聽development聽when there are so many聽challenges in Africa?聽I鈥檝e traveled and lived in 60+ countries. I鈥檝e discovered how lucky I was to have been born in a developed country. I haven鈥檛 had to spend my life getting out of extreme poverty ($1.25 per day). Getting out of poverty without an education is almost impossible. Getting an education without books or information is also nearly impossible. I am working toward making the impossible possible for those who need it most.
鈥� at , a series of interviews with 鈥渃itizen philanthropists鈥� who champion causes and lead by example. Talking GOOD was launched in 2012 by Rich Polt, principal of the Baltimore-based PR consultancy . To nominate someone for a Talking GOOD interview, please , or email rich@communicategood.com.
