Start a Library Trust (SAL) is a Kenyan, locally led social impact organization strengthening foundational literacy and life skills for children aged 4–15 in underserved public primary schools, in rural communities and urban informal settlements. Legally registered in 2022, SAL addresses persistent gaps in literacy and access to quality, locally authored, age-appropriate and culturally relevant books by working with schools and communities to build sustainable cultures of reading.  

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SAL works alongside schools, teachers, parents, communities, government agencies and partners across diverse sectors to create sustainable reading ecosystems. Its programmes include: Model School Libraries, Capacity Strengthening for School Communities (learners, classroom teachers, parents, and community members), Girl-Led Gender-Inclusive Imarisha Book Clubs, The National Read Aloud, Dear Pen Pal + Kusoma Bag, and Storybook Quest. SAL has established more than 300 school libraries across 25 counties, trained more than 6,000 teacher-librarians, and reached more than 1 million children. Its assessment data demonstrates measurable progress in learners' literacy outcomes. Children who once couldn’t express themselves are now writing, publishing and selling their own story books, a testament to growth in literacy, confidence and identity.    

 

SAL envisions an East Africa where every learner has the literacy and life skills to shape a just, thriving and equitable future. The organization is building a scalable, locally rooted model that places children, schools and communities at the centre of lasting literacy development.