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Books2Africa is a UK-registered charity (1152599) and a charity in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 2012, the charity has grown from a student society at the University of Kent to an internationally recognised non-governmental organisation that continues to impact the UK and Africa from the cathedral city of Canterbury. We have remote and office-based volunteering opportunities for people in the UK or international volunteers looking to enrol on an IVP programme and get a Tier 5 charity worker visa.
Books2Africa’s Processing Centre in Canterbury is a safe and welcoming environment with a diverse and vibrant group of people working together to achieve our charitable objectives in a relaxed atmosphere. Whether you are looking to gain work experience or looking to give back after retiring, we have a variety of tasks that are suitable for you. All our managers and supervisors are friendly and available to offer you the training and support needed to get started. Do also take a look at our COVID-19 Risk Assessment for measures put in place to ensure high standards of health and hygiene in the workplace.
Giving your free time to help with our mission of readcycling in the UK and improving the quality of education for people in Africa is the most important reason to volunteer. As a charity, our work will not be possible without our volunteers.
Wether you have little or tons of experience, we offer all our volunteers adequate and professional training to equip them with the skills required for the roles they apply for. We also offer a certificate and reference letters after you complete 200 hours.
With a diverse group of volunteers from all age groups, genders and cultures, you can develop new connections. We also use the Slack app for official messaging to enable seamless collaboration between office-based and remote team members.
Volunteers who start their shift at our Canterbury Processing Centre before 10 am are eligible to order lunch from their favourite restaurants via our Deliveroo app (max £10). You can also bring your own food and use our kitchen facilities with tea/coffee available.
Volunteers coming to work a shift at our Canterbury Processing Centre in groups of 3 or more are eligible to request a shared taxi ride to and from work. Expenses incurred if travelling to your shift alone via public transport or personal car can be claimed back (max £10).
If you are currently residing in the UK as a UK citizen or on a visa (such as a student or spousal visa) you can apply for the following volunteering roles:
Processing Support Officers are required to join the Processing Team at our Processing Centre in Canterbury. You can volunteer on your own or as part of a group with your friends/colleagues.
Campaign Support Officers are required to join our Marketing Team, working remotely and at your convenience. You can volunteer on your own or as part of a group with your friends/colleagues.
Fundraising Support Officers are required to join the Fundraising Team, working remotely as part of our Volunteer Fundraising Committee.
Tech Support Officers are required to join the Tech Refurbishing Team at our Processing Centre in Canterbury.
If you are currently residing outside the UK and are not a UK citizen, Books2Africa can sponsor your Tier 5 Charity Worker visa to volunteer with us in the UK on our International Volunteering Programme (IVP) for 6 months or 1 year.
Our International Volunteering Programme (IVP) allows you to gain first-hand experience in the practical operations of an international Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and provides you the opportunity to develop transferable skills such as teamwork, fundraising and communication.
Interns on our International Volunteers Programme work primarily at our Processing Centre in Canterbury, in various support roles as Support Officers and are involved in a variety of tasks including but not limited to; processing (cataloguing, sorting and packing donated materials), charity shop sales (valuing and listing donated materials for sale) and tech refurbishing. You will also have the opportunity to complete a range of training and tasks in marketing, and fundraising during the duration of the programme.
We currently have volunteering opportunities at our Distribution Centres across Africa. Volunteering is a great way to gain work experience, learn new skills, expand your network and contribute to the cause of improving society through education. At Books2Africa Distribution Centres, our volunteers and interns work as Distribution Support Officers and help with a variety of tasks including but not limited to sorting, picking, packing, admin and marketing. Approved volunteers also receive a stipend to cover lunch and transport expenses.
Check out the videos below for a glimpse of how we process your donated books and computers.
Books To Africa International is a UK registered charity (1152599) and a UK company limited by guarantee (08528635).
An organisation in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2017.
We do not store credit card details nor do we share financial details with any third parties.
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