Yak Jones Foundation kids tour world’s largest floating library

Seventy children took a tour of the Logos Hope floating library at Queen Elizabeth Quay in Freetown, thanks to a field trip organized by the Yak-Jones Foundation.  

The children were students in classes 3-6 from the We Yone Foundation Primary School in Kroo Bay Community.

The Logos Hope has over 800,000 books on diverse areas of life. The staff and crew are from 60 different countries. The vessel has been in Freetown since November 14, 2021, as it travels the world to improve literacy and spread the love for books. It will leave Freetown for Takoradi in Ghana on December 16, 2021. 

Founder of the Yak-Jones Foundation, Dr. Yakama Manty Jones, said the reading tour would inspire the pupils to appreciate reading more because reading is an essential part of their education and future life. 

“When you read, it opens your mind, it broadens perspectives and helps develop empathy. Reading encourages kids to engage more with their subjects and opens a different world to them”, said Dr. Jones. 

Credit: VRC Marketing

The kids and teachers were delighted to have an experience at a time like this. 

“This reading tour was essential, and it will be a great motivation for the kids and staff of the We Yone Foundation Primary School,” said Osman Bito Kamara, Head Teacher – We Yone Foundation Primary School. 

The Yak-Jones Foundation is a non-governmental organization aiming to revive the missing reading culture in Sierra Leone. The organization uses its platform to donate different books or raise funds to buy books for needy schools and communities. 

As part of their work, the organization provides reading coaching for children in municipal schools. It also uses social media to raise awareness of the importance of reading and mark memorable days tied to reading.