Donate books to a UK charity that accepts all books

Written by

Gicho Ma

Published

27 December 2022

Summary

We collect, process and ship thousands of donated books to Africa annually. Package your books into boxes and arrange a collection online.

So you’ve finished reading a book? What are your options?

  1. Throw it in the bin □
  2. Sell it □
  3. Donate it □

Well, if you choose ‘Donate it’, congratulations! You’ve made the conscious choice.

But you don’t realize there can be many problems when trying to donate books to some charities in the UK. The charity shop might be too far away from you (books are heavy indeed!), or you might be worried that they’ll be picky about what they accept, or you have too many books, but the charity is inundated!

Well, worry no more – thanks to Books2Afica’s solution. We collect, process and ship thousands of donated books to Africa annually. Our donated books have transformed communities, provided resources to many schools, and contributed to bridging the knowledge gap in more than 20 African countries. We will love to receive your pre-loved books to ship to those who need them desperately.

Why donating books to Books2Africa is a better choice?

  1. The charity accepts a wide range of books from primary to university textbooks, novels, religious books, encyclopedias and more. We also accept computers.
  2. You can arrange a collection from your home within 48 hours, saving you a lot of work, or drop-off at a Books2Africa drop-off point near you.
  3. You can extend the life of books and save them from going to landfill, ‘readcycling’ with us and contributing to saving the planet!
  4. You can help equip individuals, institutions, and communities to acquire knowledge and achieve their full potential in a globalized world, and improve the education in Africa.

So, how does it work if you donate books to Books2Africa?

  1. Package your books and resources into cardboard boxes
  2. Click here to arrange a collection from your address or a drop-off at our Processing Centre in Canterbury.
  3. Write your booking reference number on all your boxes.

 

What happens after your donation

Processing

At our Processing Centre, our team check and scan your items into our database. We also label some of your books with an impact sticker showing your booking reference number before shipping them to Africa.

Shipping and Distribution

When your books arrive in Africa, they are distributed to students and teachers in need. Anyone who receives your labelled items are encouraged to send us a photo for you. We also publish detailed impact reports on our website & Social Media.

Help us deliver more books and computers to Africa

Thousands of donated books and computers are ready to travel — but we need your support. By funding the cost of delivery, you’ll help place these resources directly into the hands of learners across Africa. Within 90 days of your sponsorship, classrooms and communities across Africa receive simple but powerful tools that spark learning, build confidence, and open possibilities of a brighter future.

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Charity Shop FAQs

We try our best to get your order to you as soon as possible. After dispatch, our standard delivery (Royal Mail First Class) typically arrives the next day in the UK (but can take up to 7 days), in 6 days to the EU and 10 days worldwide. It is important to note that delivery times are out of our control, as we do not deliver the goods ourselves.

If the error is ours, we will reprint free of charge. If the error is yours, we will reprint for 25% of the original amount. If we have sent you the wrong size garment, we will absolutely remake it for you in the right size when you return it. 

The guidance measurements given next to the shirts are supposed to represent what size person they fit. They are not the actual measurements of the garment itself, which naturally need to be larger than the person they are designed to fit.

Firstly, please ignore the washing instructions in the garment itself. These are for blank garments and not printed ones.

Wash your shirts at 40 degrees or less. Iron on reverse (cool). Do not tumble dry.

Whilst Royal Mail normally deliver all first class post within 1-2 working days, they can on occasion take longer. In the unlikely event that your goods do not arrive, allow 7 days before calling us. We cannot authorise any remakes before this time has passed as Royal Mail have been known to deliver within this time.

However, if you paid to have Express delivery, contact us immediately as we can provide you with the tracking reference to chase it with the carrier.