Making knowledge accessible
Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (Libraries Without Borders) facilitates access to education, culture and information to under-resourced communities around the world. Cormac O’Keeffe, Director of Education, Impact and Research, tells us about the non-profit organisation’s incredible work.
How did Bibliothèques Sans Frontières come into being?
Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (BSF) was founded in 2007 by Patrick Weil and Jérémy Lachal, with the vision of democratising access to knowledge and culture through books for everyone, particularly in areas where crises or social inequalities create barriers.
From its inception, BSF has recognised that access to education and information is not just a fundamental human right but an essential tool for personal and collective resilience and empowerment.
A milestone in BSF’s history came after the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake. While other organisations addressed medical or infrastructural needs, we recognised that there was also a need for intellectual and cultural support. This, along with the Haitians’ lack of access to information and educational resources, was the inspiration for the ‘Ideas Boxes’, our mobile library system. Since then, BSF has grown into a global organisation, working in more than 26 countries and reaching over 2 million beneficiaries in conflict zones, refugee camps and under-resourced communities worldwide.
BSF has a huge scope around the world – what are the logistics of this?
Operating across multiple continents and in diverse contexts presents logistical challenges that require both innovation and collaboration. BSF’s operational model is a combination of 11 operational offices spread across various regions, including eastern and western Africa, the Middle East, south Asia and eastern Europe, and closeknit partnerships with local and international organisations that work with locals. BSF also has national organisations in Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and the US.
How does BSF connect with under-resourced communities?
We do this by establishing partnerships with local actors, such as non-government organisations (NGOs), community leaders, and educational or social institutions. Before implementing any project, BSF conducts comprehensive needs assessments to ensure the interventions are contextually relevant. These assessments help BSF understand the specific educational, cultural, linguistic and informational needs of the population, enabling us to design interventions that are useful and sustainable.
How does BSF disseminate resources?
BSF is deeply committed to outreach by bringing innovative, adaptable tools and capacity building to people in need. For example, the Ideas Box is a mobile multimedia centre that can be deployed in 20 minutes to create a safe, engaging space for learning and cultural exchange. It is a compact library, creative tool suite and digital learning centre all rolled into one. The ‘Ideas Cube’, another flagship tool, is a digital library capable of working offline, ensuring that users in even the most remote and challenging environments, without internet access, can still benefit from a wealth of educational and informational resources.
The process of creating these resources begins with collaboration. BSF works alongside local educators, librarians, civil society organisations and community members to co-create content that is culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate. Once developed, these tools are distributed through local partnerships with schools and community centres, or by embedding them in existing humanitarian or development projects. The key to success is in empowering local actors; BSF provides training to ensure that local teams can maintain and manage these tools long after the initial deployment.
What types of resources does BSF provide?
BSF provides a wide array of resources aimed at different aspects of knowledge and skill-building. At the heart of BSF’s work are its physical and digital libraries. These libraries contain books, educational materials and cultural content across a wide variety of subjects, including literacy, numeracy, science and digital skills. We advocate for frugal and offline tools that offer great value and ensure durable, long-lasting solutions.
As we work with beneficiaries from around the world, we cater for 37 different languages, so many of these resources are multilingual and designed to meet the needs of diverse populations. This ranges from textual translations to dubbed videos for communities who value spoken content over written texts. It’s all about ensuring that content is accessible and human-centred.
Beyond traditional library content, BSF offers specialised digital platforms, such as Khan Academy in French, which provides free lessons and exercises in mathematics and science for students and educators. We offer high quality training programmes that ensure that digital and physical tools are used appropriately and have maximum impact.
We also address social and civic issues through tailored programmes, ranging from media literacy kits (that combat misinformation and promote digital safety) to kits on secular society (that promote more inclusive citizenship).
In addition, BSF’s social impact for-profit organisation, Kajou, provides microSD cards filled with educational content that can be used offline on mobile phones, a powerful tool for populations with limited access to digital infrastructure. These resources aim to empower people with the knowledge they need for personal development, professional advancement and active citizenship.
What challenges does BSF face, and how do you overcome them?
In some cases, when operating in regions with heightened security risks or difficult environmental conditions, projects can be complicated. Political instability can disrupt projects or prevent access to certain areas. For example, in countries such as Afghanistan, Burkina Faso or Syria, securing safe access for BSF teams is an ongoing challenge requiring vigilance and highly capable teams. We are also vigilant to the challenge of ensuring that our projects are designed to minimise potential harms while maximising benefits for the beneficiaries. This is why our collaborations with local partners and experts are so important to the success and sustainability of our projects.
Funding is always a challenge for non-profit organisations. BSF relies heavily on grants, donations, and partnerships with institutional and private actors. To overcome this, we emphasise transparency, accountability, sustainability and measurable impact, which helps attract and maintain donor support.
What collaborations does BSF’s work depend on?
BSF’s success is built on a foundation of strong partnerships with local and international organisations. These partnerships range from public institutions, such as UNESCO, the UN Refugee Agency, the European Union and l’Agence Française de Développement, to NGOs, such as the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Offline Internet Consortium, Alliance, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and People in Need. BSF also collaborates with educational organisations, such as education ministries and libraries, to tailor its interventions to local contexts.
What types of training does BSF provide?
Training and capacity building are important components of BSF’s approach. We offer training programmes for local mediators, educators and librarians, equipping them with the skills to manage the tools and resources provided by BSF. This includes training in digital literacy, media literacy and information management, as well as how to use the tools, such as micro-libraries, Ideas Boxes and Ideas Cubes, effectively within their communities.
The training is delivered by BSF staff and expert partners, often in collaboration with local educational institutions or civil society organisations. The goal is to build local capacity so that communities can sustain the interventions long after BSF’s direct involvement ends. This approach ensures that the tools provided don’t just benefit the current generation but continue to empower future generations as well.
Where is BSF focusing its efforts currently, and why?
BSF is currently focusing on areas severely affected by conflict and displacement, such as Ukraine, Afghanistan, the Middle East and sub- Saharan Africa. In Ukraine, BSF is working to provide educational and psychological support to women and children displaced by the war.
We have deployed Ideas Boxes and Ideas Cubes in refugee centres and schools across Europe to help children regain a sense of normalcy through education and culture.
In sub-Saharan Africa, BSF is focusing on supporting the survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and refugees and displaced populations in countries such as Burundi. These regions face ongoing challenges, including access to education, employment opportunities and social integration. In spite of this, we continue to work closely with in-need populations, such as children in rural Senegal, by providing them with digital tools and platforms that reinforce learning outcomes and open new possibilities.
What impact is BSF having?
In 2023 alone, BSF reached over 464,000 people across 24 countries. BSF’s impact is measured in several ways, including the number of beneficiaries, the long-term sustainability of its interventions, and qualitative feedback from communities.
One key metric is how well the tools provided are integrated into local communities. BSF tracks how often the resources are used and how effectively local mediators can maintain and expand the programmes after the initial deployment. Additionally, BSF measures the educational outcomes for the students and adults who use its resources, as well as the broader social impact of its programmes on issues like media literacy and digital inclusion. We deploy a variety of methods ranging from randomised controlled trials (the gold standard of impact evaluation) to qualitative studies that capture the insights and experiences that shape a successful project.
What are the key highlights for you in your work with BSF?
Several key successes stand out, and like all projects at BSF, they’re the result of the dedication and involvement of a great many talented and experienced colleagues. So, I’m definitely not taking the credit for teamwork!
The Ideas Box, which has now been deployed in over 170 locations worldwide, has become a lifeline for communities in crisis, providing access to knowledge, culture and social connection in some of the world’s most challenging environments. November 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the Ideas Box – a celebratory milestone and a reminder of how this vital tool has evolved and adapted to the needs of communities over the years.
Another one of our exciting projects is the Offline Libraries and Student Learning in Rural Senegal initiative, launched in the Kédougou region to bridge the digital divide in education. The project equips rural schools with offline access to digital educational content through the Ideas Cube and a custom platform, OLIP, developed by our IT team. This solution is crucial in regions with scarce internet and educational resources. 70 schools now have access to digital materials aligned with the national curriculum, benefiting over 15,000 students and providing 700 teachers with support and training to integrate these tools into their teaching.
What’s next for BSF?
Looking ahead, BSF is focused on expanding its reach even further. The organisation has set a bold goal of providing access to knowledge for 3 million people by 2030. To achieve this, BSF is not only expanding into new regions but also investing in technological innovation, such as artificial intelligence and enhanced digital platforms, to make its tools more accessible and impactful. We are currently developing an AI-based tool to support teacher training in Senegal, as well as an offline large language model for health workers in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) and Senegal.
We are also designing a digital content platform with AI assistants to advocate for and provide offline and open access to information, culture and education.
BSF’s vision is one of change. We seek to make knowledge accessible to anyone in the world, regardless of where they come from or what they want to be. We believe that by strengthening the skills and capacities of people, we contribute to the creation of more inclusive, resilient and diverse societies — or as the Nobel Prize Laureat Joseph Stiglitz calls them, ‘learning societies’.
How can people learn more or get involved with your BSF’s work?
Students and educators can visit the organisation’s website to follow BSF’s work on social media or subscribe to its newsletters for updates on ongoing projects, internships and opportunities to get involved. And of course, make donations – every little bit counts!
We also love teaming up with research centres to either collaborate on research projects or provide access and operational support for original research proposals. We’d be delighted to hear from researchers –you can get in touch via the contact page on our website.
Connect with Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (Libraries Without Borders)
• librarieswithoutborders.org/contact-us
Do you have a question for Cormac?
Read about how Barefoot College International is teaching thousands of women in the world’s poorest communities to become solar engineers:
www.futurumcareers.com/barefoot-college-international-the-heroes-of-this-story-are-the-women
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