What is Books2Africa?
Books2Africa is a UK registered charity that is educating people and saving the environment by collecting donated books and sending them to institutions of learning in Africa.
Why Books2Africa?
According to UNESCO, more than 50% of students who go to school in Africa will not be able to read or write properly after finishing school. This is mainly due to a lack of books and resources.
Books2Africa's Mission
Our mission is to improve the quality of education in Africa through the provision of educational materials that enable students to acquire knowledge and achieve their potential.
Books2Africa's Vision
Books2Africa’s vision is a developed Africa where extreme poverty is defeated and all children regardless of their gender or economic background can have a good education.
Fundraising Model
Instead of being pulped or sent to landfill, books and educational materials are collected from developed countries and shipped to developing countries in Africa. Books2Africa sells a maximum of 20% of donated books in order to fund its operating costs. This means donated funds from individual and corporate sponsors can go towards shipping the remaining 80% of donated books to projects in Africa. This is our own adaptation of the 80/20 rule (also known as the Pareto principle).
Strategic Objectives
✓ Equip public schools in Africa with books and educational materials to immediately improve the quality of education for the poorest in society.
✓ Establish and equip Community Libraries with books and internet access to serve as hubs of learning and enterprise in the poorest communities.
✓ Enable students from the poorest backgrounds to be educated and write their own stories through scholarships and publications.
Educational Impact
“Your organization's support of our outreach program with children at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp is greatly appreciated.” – BOOKimpact project, Nigeria.
“Children in the school now have library time which they enjoy immensely. Community children too have started using the library for reference books.” – Nodi Trust School, Zambia.
Scope of Impact
In addition to the thousands of books shipped to Africa, the number of African countries that have received book donations from Books2Africa represent the broad scope of our work. So far, we have donated books to projects in the following 15 African countries:
1. Cameroon
2. Ethiopia
3. Ghana
4. Kenya
5. Liberia
6. Malawi
7. Morocco
8. Nigeria
9. Somalia
10. Somaliland
11. Tanzania
12. Togo
13. Uganda
14. Zambia
15. Zimbabwe
Programmes
Books2Africa Enterprise
School Line is a new initiative launched as part of the Books2Africa Enterprise program. With the help of sponsors, Books2Africa buys buses to transport school children to and from school free of charge for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours after school hours. After the school run, School Line buses operate as normal commercial buses and generate income for the driver, fuel and vehicle maintenance.
► £5,000 funds a Books2Africa School Line bus that transports 500 students to school and back home daily.
Books2Africa Scholarship
Books2Africa Scholarship aims to fund the tuition fees of the best performing primary and secondary school students enrolled in schools within rural parts of Africa. To qualify, students must be among the top 3 in their class, and be from a low income family. Schools in partner countries such as the UK are paired with a school in Africa and agree to fund the top 3 students from each class annually.
► £1,000 funds a whole year's tuition fees for 18 best performing secondary school students from poor backgrounds.
Books2Africa
Press
Books2Africa Press aims to publish and promote literary works and research by African authors and scholars. Any author or publisher who supports the charity can donate £0.20 from the sale of each copy of their book to ship books and fund writing workshops and competitions in Africa. Independent African writers can also submit their manuscripts to be published on Amazon Kindle by Books2Africa Press.
► £2,000 funds the delivery of a free creative writing workshop and seminar for 100 aspiring authors in Africa.
Books2Africa
On Air
Books2Africa On Air is a series of video interviews with authors, academics, experts, entrepreneurs and influential personalities who have a passion for Africa and who support the work of the charity. Released weekly, these 30 minutes videos are aimed towards promoting dialogue and discussion on issues concerning Africa. Each episode identifies a problem and highlights potential solutions.
► Contact us if you will like to be a guest or sponsor Books2Africa On Air and have a regular advert slot on our videos.
Books2Africa
Outreach
The Books2Africa Outreach programme is designed to meet the infrastructural and capacity building needs of academic institutions in Africa. Outreach activities such as renovation of schools ensure that students enjoy learning within a safer environment. Establishing libraries equipped with computers within classrooms, schools and communities creates a shared learning space for students.
► Contact us if you will like to sponsor a school renovation by contributing funds, building or decorating materials.
Fundraising Resources
► Books2Africa in 30 seconds
► The journey of a book
► Request books from Books2Africa
► How to support Books2Africa
