Kathy Knowles was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and received a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She nursed in various paediatric hospital settings including one year on a remote island in northern Ontario.

Kathy and her husband, John, travelled to Accra, Ghana, West Africa, with their four young children in 1989, after John accepted a position with a Canadian gold mining company. Observing that the Ghanaian children in their neighbourhood had no opportunities to read storybooks, Kathy started a weekly reading circle under a tree in her garden in 1990. Eventually, that simple story time grew to be the Osu Children’s Library Fund (OCLF), a non-profit organization that has helped to establish more than 190 libraries in Africa. This includes the building and operation of five large facilities serving thousands of children in Accra, Ghana. In addition to providing books, the libraries offer a variety of activities such as free literacy classes for adults, cultural and art clubs, football teams, daily food programs and a scholarship fund for deserving library members.

As OCLF Program Director, Kathy works full time on a volunteer basis from an office in her home in Canada, where the family returned in 1993. She works in close partnership with Ghanaians who oversee the libraries and the local directors of the organization.

 

Awards and Recognition

May 2009: Soroptimist Making a Difference Award given "to a woman who has made a significant contribution to improving the lives of women and children."

December 2006: Honorary Fellow of the Ghana Library Association for "her untiring efforts and contributions, insatiable interest and commitment to various activities aimed at developing and promoting libraries and the library profession in Ghana."

May 2005: Flare Magazine Volunteer Award in Toronto.

August 2004: Special Award from Dr. La-Kumi on behalf of the Ghanaian Canadian Achievement Award committee.

2002: Lewis Perinbam Award in International Development to an individual “who has made an extraordinary contribution to improving life in a developing country, all on a voluntary basis.”

June 2001: Meritorious Service Award "Through her labour of love promoting literacy, Kathryn Knowles has enriched the lives of many children half a world away and brought great honour to Canada.”
Governor General Adrienne Clarkson

May 2000: YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award.

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