Readcycling and delivering
1 million books yearly

At Books2Africa, ‘Readcycling’, derived from the words “Read” and “Recycling”, is the proven idea that extending the life of educational materials such as books and computers by donating them to be used by someone else is more environmentally sustainable, educationally beneficial, and financially cost-effective than sending them to recycling/landfill sites.

Your single and monthly financial donations go into our 1 Million Books Fund, which aims to raise £200,000 a year towards the cost of ‘readcycling’ and delivering 1 million books and 1,000 computers to students and teachers across Africa.

Our Impact

2 Million Books

Shipped to students and teachers across Africa

1 Thousand Tonnes

Saved from landfill and 'readcycled' in the UK

Become a Supporter

via a Single or Monthly donation

Donate monthly

Box of
20 books

A monthly donation of £10 for example, funds the cost of processing and shipping a box of 20 books (£0.50 per book) to a classroom in Africa every month. Become 1 of 1,700 monthly donors giving £10 to reach our fundraising goal.

£200

Digital
Study Kit

A single donation of £200 can fund the cost of processing and shipping our Digital Study Kit that includes; a Windows laptop, a solar reading light, and access to digital books. Shipped door-to-door via DHL to a teacher in Africa.

£500

Pallet of
1,000 books

A single donation of £500 can fund the cost of processing and shipping 1,000 books (£0.50 per book) to any sea port in Africa. Enough books for a school. The receiver covers any local clearing, haulage and destination charges.

£5,000

Container of
20,000 books

A single donation of £5,000 funds the cost of processing and shipping 20,000 books (£0.25 per book) to any sea port in Africa. Enough books for a university library. The receiver covers any local clearing, haulage and destination charges.

£8,000

Container of
40,000 books

A single donation of £8,000 funds the cost of processing and shipping 40,000 books (£0.20 per book) to any sea port in Africa. Enough books for a community. The receiver covers any local clearing, haulage and destination charges.

How To Fundraise

Want to fundraise for Books2Africa but not sure where to start from? Here are 3 steps to help you start, reach and exceed your fundraising target. When you’re ready to start fundraising for us, complete the short Fundraising Form below to let us know your plans before you begin.

1. What's your story?

Take a moment to think about your story. What would your life be like if you never had an education? If you never learnt to read or write? What essential personal and professional skills (such as IT skills for example) do you have today that you wouldn’t otherwise have if you never had access to a book, a computer or a library? We encourage you to write down a paragraph or two on why supporting Books2Africa matters to you and why donating to ship books, computers and educational materials to those in need is vital. This is your personal fundraising statement.

2. What's your impact target?

How much of an impact do you want to achieve? Do you want to raise enough money to ship: a Digital Study Kit that includes a laptop for a teacher to plan and improve their lessons? A pallet of 1,000 books for a classroom? A 20ft container of 20,000 books for a whole school? or a 40ft container of 40,000 books for a university or community library? You can always start by asking your contacts to become monthly donors (or signing up yourself), giving £10 per month and becoming part of the 1,700 people we can count on to reach our fundraising target of £200,000 to ship 1 million books to Africa annually.

3. Who can you count on?

Effective fundraising always starts with your network. Can you count on your friends or followers on Social Media? Your colleagues at work? Your family? You can share your fundraising statement with the people in your network with a simple social media post, direct message, email or by organising an activity such as a Zoom event or running a marathon. Remember to create and include a donation link to your fundraising page on JustGiving, Facebook Fundraising, or Books2Africa’s Donate Now page. Thank you for your support.

After Fundraising

Step 1 – Processing

Our team of staff and volunteers check, catalogue and sort donated books and educational materials into categories, ready for shipping.

Step 2 – Shipping

When funding is received, we load and ship the relevant books and educational materials required to be shipped by sea to an approved individual or institution.

Step 3 – Clearing

Upon arrival, the receiver (or our Distribution Centre) clears the books through customs and are liable for all destination charges before offloading.

Step 4 – Distribution

The books and educational materials are distributed to students, teachers, institutions and communities in need. Their impact reports are published online.

“The effect [of donated books] is so great, especially for the kids who are from the villages. They will come in and read books. Sometimes they can’t read but they will open pages and see pictures, and just get excited to have this place. For us, we have times when we come here and study, and also research for our own teaching. And just for amusement! For me, I will just come, sit there in the corner and read. I like reading fiction: horror and also romance books.”