In just a year since it was founded, Smallbean’s award-winning Citizen Archivist Project has had a direct impact on communities in need from Tanzania to Brighton. While Smallbean is working around the clock to obtain institutional funding and develop revenue generation models to support our initiatives, we are relying on generous donations from our network of friends, family, and supporters to bring the Citizen Archivist Project to four libraries in Kenya this July.

Support the MobileCAP this July

Using our new MobileCAP backpacks, Smallbean volunteers will be teaching the Citizen Archivist Project to librarians and community members throughout Kenya. We depart July 12th, 2010! 

• $100 covers the cost of Internet at a library location in Kenya this summer.

• $200 covers the cost of sustainable solar power at each library location.

• $250 pays for a refurbished laptop to be used by Kenyan librarians and community members learning basic computer skills and collecting oral histories throughout their village.

•$1,000 completely sponsors a MobileCAP installation at one of the four Smallbean Citizen Archivist Project locations.

Which MobileCAP site will you support? Smallbean is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.

Please click on the PayPal links below to donate or send a check to:

Smallbean Incorporated

515 Beacon Street

Boston, MA 02115

(617) 600-8314

Support the Kibera Site

Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi and the second largest in Africa. It has a population of approximately 1,000,000 people, most of whom lack electricity and running water. As part of the Citizen Archivist Project at the Kibera library site, Smallbean will teach computer skills and assist community members as they collect oral history interviews, photos and movies from this diverse community in the heart of Nairobi.

Support the Busia Site

Busia sits on the border of western Kenya and Uganda and is very close to Lake Victoria. The town has a population of approximately 30,000 people and is a transportation hub for trucks carrying goods into central Africa. Citizen Archivists at the Busia library will be conducting oral history interviews in at least two tribal dialects, Luhya and Teso.

Support the Kajiado Site

The Elangata Wuas Library and Resource Center, located in Southern Kenya’s Kajiado District, has approximately 10,500 residents and includes a growing formal educational system including, most notably, four full primary schools that have expanded exponentially over the last decade. Smallbean will be working with Africa SOMA, a wonderful Canadian nonprofit that has been active in the region for several years, and local librarians and members of the community to document the vibrant Maasai culture in the region.

Support the Lamu Site

Lamu is an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Kenya and home to one of the oldest original Swahili settlements. Lamu Island has only has two motorized vehicles, one for the government and the island's ambulance. Smallbean will be working with the community library in Lamu town to teach computer skills and collect oral histories, photos and movies from this ancient coastal village on the shores of Kenya.