Lolera, Book Market 2026, the first step.
The history
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The initial situation
Lolera is a Maasai community in northern Tanzania. There are 52 school-age children, but no school in the village. The nearest primary school was too far for the children to reach.
The idea & the people
The community wanted its own school. Lalahe and Lazaro brought the project to us. In 2025, Lolera became our sixth school and at the same time the first that we financed together with two book market partnerships.
The path
Book Market Cologne fully financed Block A with €76,000 in 2026: two classrooms and a teacher's room. Book Market Stuttgart e.V. joined as the main sponsor for the well, the teacher's house and toilet blocks are being built in parallel.
The result
What was still empty land in mid-2025 has been a school since the end of 2025. Block A is in place, 52 children are learning in preschool and class 1, one to two teachers are working on site. The first phase of a primary school that continues to grow.
Status & outlook
Lolera is supposed to grow with its children: from preschool and class 1 to a complete primary school with 7 classes. Step by step, classrooms, water, electricity, and equipment are being added. What is currently being built is listed further down and in the cost overview. There you can see what is completed and what is still open.
Lolera at a glance.
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On the construction site.
Block A is in place: two classrooms and a teacher's room. 52 children are learning in preschool and class 1, one to two teachers are on site.
Meanwhile, the community is working on the teacher's house on site, so teachers don't have to commute every day, on two toilet blocks and the well. Toilets and water are mandatory components for a state-recognized primary school. Next come furniture and equipment, then solar.
Book Market 2026, the first step.
Book Market Cologne financed the entire basic equipment in 2026: Block A with two classrooms, the teacher's house, two toilet blocks, and furniture. For Book Market Cologne, Lolera is the fourth school they support. Book Market Stuttgart e.V. is the main sponsor of the well. Water tank and solar are the next open steps.
| Position | Status | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Block A, 2 classrooms + teachers' office | Complete (Bücherbörse Köln) | 29,000 € |
| Teachers' house | Under construction (Bücherbörse Köln) | 25,000 € |
| 2 toilet blocks | Under construction (Bücherbörse Köln) | 20,000 € |
| Furniture & equipment | Complete (Bücherbörse Köln) | 2,000 € |
| Well | Planned (Bücherbörse Stuttgart) | open |
| Water tank | Planned | open |
| Solar | Planned | open |
| Total | - | 76,000 € |
Costs rounded. Lolera is remote, so transport to the site costs more than at our other schools.
What we learn here: Two partners who share the positions get a school up and running faster than one alone.
Costs rounded. Block A, teacher's house, toilets and furniture are fully financed by Bücherbörse Köln (BBK 2026). The well is funded by Bücherbörse Stuttgart e.V.
Lolera is remote, transport costs to the site are significantly higher than at our other schools.
You can co-finance the next construction phase.
Every euro flows directly into the next construction phase.