'Trashed' books may help fight illiteracy, AIDS in Uganda

Back in Uganda, Musoke had to share textbooks with hundreds of students

March 13, 2000
Web posted at: 11:22 p.m. EST (0422 GMT)

From Correspondent Don Knapp

KENTFIELD, California (CNN) -- For Ugandan student Ronald Musoke, it was like finding gold in the wastebaskets of the community college in Marin County, California.

He pulled out used textbooks costing up to $100 when new that now were being thrown away after newer editions wiped out the books' resale value at the college bookstore.

"So I felt why couldn't I send these books back to Uganda, as I see many books being dropped in the streets," said Musoke, a student at Marin College.

Musoke knew how precious the old books would be in his homeland because the school he attended never had enough books.

VIDEO CNN's Don Knapp talks to an Ugandan who collects discarded textbooks at his college to send to his homeland. Windows Media 28K 80K   To make a donation to the Ronald Musoke Ugandan Literacy Project Call 415 454-2255 or write to: Nuer Foundation PO Box 150154 San Rafael, California 94915-0154

"You can imagine, 150 students using five books," remembers Musoke.

The 23-year-old student is a civil war survivor who lost his parents and 10 other family members to AIDS.

He now hopes to use the castaway U.S. books to battle that killer disease by raising the education level in Uganda. His main focus will be women, and he'll use the books to pay for their tuition.

"They come and get an education. It will be like an exchange," he said.

Because of the publicity about his scavenging, outdated books no longer end up in wastebaskets but instead land in collection bins.

A corporate sponsor is paying part of the cost of shipping the 4,000 textbooks collected thus far to Uganda, but all sorting and packing is being done by Musoke's classmates.

"I'm really happy to be here and to be doing it," said Roni Lapins. "I love to sort and organize, so this is perfect for me."

Old textbooks are placed in collection bins, sorted, and then shipped to Uganda

"It makes me feel good to know I'm helping -- in the littlest way possible -- to make other people's lives a little bit better," said another student, Tanya Schwedler.

The textbook effort is having another effect: Here, in one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, California students are making a connection with a struggling African nation.

"It wasn't so detached, after meeting him. It was something very immediate for me," said David Halusic.

Musoke is teaching fellow students in Marin County new lessons in international relations -- lessons based on books the students used to throw away.

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