Little by Little: How a Community Dream Could Put a Library on Wheels for Uganda’s Children

For many children, the love of reading begins with a simple moment: a book placed in their hands at just the right time.

Often it happens in a school library, a classroom reading corner, or at home before bedtime.

But for thousands of children growing up in underserved communities across Uganda, that moment never arrives, not because they lack curiosity or the desire to read, but because books are simply not there.

For more than a decade, the 40 Days Over 40 Smiles Foundation (4040) has been working to change that story by expanding access to learning resources for children who need them most.

Founded in 2012, the volunteer-led organisation has mobilised communities, local partners and individual supporters to improve access to learning opportunities for children.

Through reading initiatives, school partnerships and community programmes, the foundation has supported thousands of learners while nurturing a culture of giving where even the smallest contribution can create meaningful change.

In 2023, that belief took shape in a powerful way with the opening of the Angaza Resource Centre in Kibuli, built through the collective effort of volunteers, partners and donations from individuals who believed in the idea.

The centre provides children with free access to books, computers and a child-friendly safe space where learning can flourish.

For many children who visit the centre, it is the first time they encounter shelves filled with books they are free to explore.

Teachers and parents say the impact has already begun to show in classrooms. Children who regularly engage with the centre are reading more confidently, participating more actively in discussions and beginning to imagine possibilities beyond their immediate surroundings.

Yet despite the success of the centre, one challenge remains. Many children who could benefit from its resources live too far away to reach it.

That realisation inspired the foundation’s next step; creating a mobile library that can take books directly to children in schools and communities where learning resources are limited.

Instead of waiting for children to find libraries, the idea is simple: bring the library to them.

To help turn this vision into reality, the foundation will participate in the “Little by Little” campaign, a four-day global crowdfunding initiative organised by GlobalGiving from March 16 to March 20.

The campaign encourages communities around the world to support grassroots organisations through small donations that collectively create meaningful impact.

During the campaign period, all eligible donations of up to $50 per donor will be matched by 50 percent, increasing the value of each contribution made.

For the 4040 team, the campaign reflects a philosophy that has guided the organisation since its founding: lasting change often begins with small acts of generosity.

“A lot of the work we have done has been possible because ordinary people chose to give what they could,” says Esther Kalenzi, Team Lead of 40 Days Over 40 Smiles Foundation.

“Little by little, those small contributions have allowed us to create spaces where children can read, learn and feel supported."

"The mobile library is simply the next step in bringing those opportunities closer to even more children.” she adds

The foundation hopes that through the Little by Little campaign, supporters both in Uganda and around the world will help turn this next chapter into reality.

If successful, the mobile library will travel to 20 additional schools and communities with limited learning resources, significantly expanding the organisation’s reach beyond the four schools currently served through the Angaza Resource Centre.

For the children who will encounter those books, the impact may appear simple at first.. a new story, a quiet place to read or a moment of curiosity sparked by a page. But those moments often grow into something much bigger, confidence, imagination and a belief that learning belongs to them too.

And like everything that has brought the foundation this far, it will begin in the same way, Little by little.

The 40 Days Over 40 Smiles Foundation welcomes contributions of any amount toward the campaign.

Donations can be made via Mobile Money on 0776 840407 or 0757 140407 under the name Forty Days Over Forty Smiles Foundation, or online via GlobalGiving at bit.ly/Donate4040