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 170 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. Kathy has received numerous awards for her work promoting literacy and has represented Ghana as a delegate at an International Reading Conference in Kampala, Uganda.

In July 2007, Kathy gave a presentation at an international Read to Learn conference in Hong Kong to share OCLF's experience. In the photo, Kathy is standing with "S.T.", an enthusiastic board member of the Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation.

She has also been invited to deliver a paper at the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) World Library and Information Congress in Quebec City in August 2008.

Awards and Recognition

In December 2006, Kathy Knowles' work with libraries was recognized in Ghana by the Council of the Ghana Library Association which honoured her as an Honorary Fellow of the Ghana Library Association. In reaching this decision, Council took due recognition of her untiring efforts and contributions, insatiable interest and commitment to various activities aimed at developing and promoting libraries and the library profession in Ghana.

In May 2005, Kathy Knowles received the Flare Magazine Volunteer Award in Toronto.

In August 2004, Knowles received a special award from Dr. La-Kumi on behalf of the Ghanaian Canadian Achievement Award committee.

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

"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 on presenting the Meritorious Service Award on June 25, 2001.

In May 2000, Kathy received the YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award.

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