Lubuto's contribution to peace articulated at UNESCO
Jane was invited by UNESCO to speak at their International Day of Education celebration in Paris on January 24th after presenting our ViiV-funded work at the mEducation Alliance Symposium in Washington, DC in October. They noted that Lubuto's work illustrates how libraries strengthen communities and build cultures of peace and inclusion—fitting the "Learning for peace" session of the event whose theme was "Learning for people, planet, prosperity and peace."
Her speech, entitled "Libraries and learning for peace," was intended to show how education, through the safe, inclusive, individually-focused and caring public library helps promote genuine peace in a world where, as UNESCO notes, 263 million children are out of school. The presentation addressed why learning opportunities outside of schools are critical for peace and how public libraries play an important role in meeting this need:
"While we tend to see education as a vehicle for the transmission of knowledge, education also plays a social role in establishing inclusion, opportunity and place in the community. Schools, for example, are a closed system. You are either in or out...Libraries meet individuals at their own level, recognize their humanity, and support their desire to learn and grow...Each of the hundreds of millions of children and their families who do not currently have access to this kind of library presents an opportunity to build a more peaceful future. This is a call to action."
Along with her presentation at UNESCO, Jane also talked with the international news channel France 24 about how today's public libraries have a new and critical role to play in societies. To view the interview, click here.
New Regional Director: Sarah Gibbons
We are so excited to welcome Sarah Gibbons to the Lubuto family! Sarah has just started with us as our Regional Director in Zambia. Before coming to Lubuto, she was a Legal Writing Instructor at the University of Zambia School of Law, as well as a Legal Research Consultant for the Southern African Institute of Policy and Research and a Workshop Facilitator as an Independent Consultant. To learn more about Sarah, click here.
Volunteer of the Month: Barbara Chilangwa
Our volunteer of the month is Ambassador Barbara Chilangwa. We are so honored that, after several years of serving on our Advisory Board, she took on the leadership and establishment of our new Zambian Board as Chairman. As a long-serving Permanent Secretary in Zambia's education ministry and an executive leader of CAMFED Zambia, Lubuto could have no better guide. We were so grateful for her new year's message: "Lubuto is an extraordinary organization and it's a pleasure and an honor to serve on the local board. We are committed to supporting your staff here as they continue with their noble cause of working with children and communities."
