Our History

Our founder, Catie Honeyman, explains the history behind Bombo Books:

"I have loved books since childhood, influenced by my parents' own love of reading and their efforts to always find us books we would enjoy. 

Over the years, our family has built up our own collection of over 800 books that we and our children love. But having these books just sitting at home for our own use didn't seem right. We wanted to make them available to others.

In September 2022, in honor of Rwanda's National Literacy Month, we tried our first experiment: working with a local corner store to make books available to the neighborhood. The owner didn't think he could supervise reading inside his small shop (our original idea), but he was willing to try selling a few books on consignment. The experience taught us a lot about the level of interest in the neighborhood and the price point that was accessible to families--you can read more about the story in this series of posts.

Next, we tried lending out books to a group of about 25 neighborhood kids who come to our house every weekend for a children's class and junior youth group. These kids did a great job--almost all of the books came back each week so we could rotate and lend them out again to someone new. The kids loved having access to books--sometimes we even saw the kids stop their street football game so they could sit on the edge of the road and read with friends! But over a few months, the books became worn out from being passed all around the neighborhood. 

It was time to try something different to see if we could make the books available to a wider group of kids and in a more sustainable way. So, in April 2024 we opened up Bombo Books! It is a combination of a library, bookstore, candy shop and toy shop. Our experiment is to see whether this small community library can sustain itself, covering costs like rent and electricity while also providing a youth employment opportunity. We even hosted a youth logo design challenge run by a youth intern to start out--we try to incorporate positive youth development in our entire approach as well as fosting a love of learning among children, youth, and adults. Every week, in addition to offering snacks, drinks, ice cream and other treats, we bring a different collection of 50 books from our home library into Bombo Books so readers can enjoy something new.

If the experiment succeeds, we hope to one day help a network of youth entrepreneurs start up their own community libraries and snack shops! Thanks for your interest in our story--stop by to check us out and "treat yourself to a sweet read!"

-Catie, founder of Bombo Books