The power of books:
Our vision for 2025
Welcome
At Book Aid International we know that readers around the world face unprecedented challenges.
The Covid pandemic has closed thousands of classrooms and pushed millions into poverty. Climate change is impacting communities around the world, and conflict and displacement are putting countless livelihoods and lives at risk.
A book might seem like a small thing in the fight against inequality – but we see every day how a book can spark a transformation. That knowledge is at the heart of this strategy.
Between now and 2025 we will focus on creating the opportunity to read for people who face the greatest barriers to learning – sharing the power of the book and helping to create a more equal world.
We will have four key strategic goals: equity, engagement, partnership and advocacy. They all contribute to our vision of a world where everyone has access to the books they need to enrich, improve and change their lives.
This strategy is an exciting step towards a world where everyone has the chance to read – and we invite you to take it with us.
Dr Alice Prochaska, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Book Aid International
Goal 1: equity
We will prioritise reaching more of the people who face the greatest barriers to reading and learning.
Our equity goal focuses on creating access to books where lives are impacted by poverty and inequality, where people are excluded from the opportunity to read and when conflict and disaster disrupt lives. It also commits us to ensuring that all of our work contributes to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In our equity goal, we have four key priorities.
Priority one: Focusing on the poorest communities
Books enrich education and give people the opportunity to learn new skills throughout their lives – and with this lifelong learning comes the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. In this strategy period, we will focus on creating access to books for people in countries with high levels of poverty, particularly rural populations and under-served urban communities.
By 2025 60% of the books we donate will reach low-income countries.
Priority two: Reaching excluded readers
The most disadvantaged people are often excluded from opportunities to learn. Women and girls and people displaced from their homes are particularly at risk. For them, books in libraries and classrooms may be out of reach. Moving forward, we will focus on creating opportunities for reading and learning to flourish for people who have been marginalised by partnering with NGOs who focus on these communities.
By 2025 65% of the books we provide will support the work of NGOs.
Priority three: Responding to crisis
Climate change, conflict and disaster are increasingly forcing people from their homes, closing schools, destroying libraries and leaving millions without the chance to read. Books offer the chance to return to education or take refuge in a great story. In this strategy period we will respond where lives are disrupted by these crises, especially when books are lost.
By 2025 35% of our work will take place in countries recovering from or affected by conflict and disaster.
Priority four: Contributing to the SDGs
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity. At its heart are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We know that by facilitating access to information and giving everyone the chance to learn, we can contribute to delivering the Agenda for Sustainable Development.
By 2025 all of our work will support the delivery of the SDGs, particularly in the provision of quality education, good health and gender equality.
Goal 2: engagement
We will work to engage more people with reading, especially in under-served, rural and marginalised communities.
Through our engagement goal we will create rich, diverse and relevant book collections in school libraries, community reading spaces and library outreach services to inspire communities throughout – and beyond – Africa to read, learn and experience the transformational power of books.
In our engagement goal, we have four key priorities.
Priority one: Creating vibrant school libraries
School libraries full of brand new, well-chosen books help pupils become confident readers, curious learners and, eventually, school leavers with ambition to succeed. School libraries also support teachers in creating rich, engaging lessons and offer a valuable resource for the whole community to access and enjoy.
Moving forward, we will grow our work supporting school libraries and training teachers in how to use books to enrich learning.
By 2025 we will establish or equip over 1,500 school libraries every year.
Priority two: Giving communities access to books
Public, community and mobile libraries give people from all walks of life the opportunity to engage with books and reading. And well-stocked libraries – whether in a city, a township or a remote village – act as vital information hubs for the whole community.
Between now and 2025 we will partner with public and community libraries to engage whole communities in reading through book donations, a range of dynamic events and other activities.
By 2025 we will set up or support at least 50 new community libraries.
Priority three: Working around the world
Demand is growing around the world for books to support education, improve competence in English and enhance life chances. The need is particularly acute where people are displaced from their homes or cut off from formal education.
In the years to come, we will expand our work beyond Africa focusing on communities where there is a real need for the books we can provide.
By 2025 we will partner with at least 25 new NGOs outside Africa.
Prioriting four: Curating rich and diverse book collections
Children and adults are far more likely to engage with reading if they have rich and varied collections from which they can choose the books they want to read.
In this strategy period we will work with UK and local publishers to expand the range of books we can provide around the world – working to ensure that everyone can find a book which suits their needs and fires their imagination.
By 2025 we will secure more donated books from publishers, increasing the number of books donated every year.
Goal 3: partnership
We will develop dynamic partnerships with organisations that share our vision of creating more equitable access to books.
By supporting our partners and enabling them to do more, we can create sustainable change for the people who need books most. So in this strategy period, we will invest in our partners, helping build their skills to deliver programmes which enable people to read.
We will engage more in-country trainers to deliver our projects and programmes and upskill local teachers and librarians through a ‘train the trainer’ model. Those teachers and librarians can then go on to share their skills with others.
We will also grow and diversify our partner network – establishing new partnerships with NGOs within and beyond the education space. In addition, we will work with local publishers, reading agencies, library associations and other groups which exist to promote the value of reading.
By 2025 we will:
- Upskill 30 local trainers
- Increase the percentage of locally published books in our projects
- Increase our partnerships with a more diverse range of NGOs
Goal 4: Advocacy
We will be advocates for the transformational power of books
Where there are important discussions about reading and education, we will engage with international and local organisations to promote books and reading. We will also use our event appearances, contacts and channels to increase awareness of the need for books globally.
In all of our work we will highlight the power of books, supporting our partners and readers to share their stories of how books change lives and using those stories to inspire action.
What we do in the UK is only part of the solution, so we will also support our partners to raise the profile of books in their own communities by expanding our Reading Promotion programme.
By 2025 we will:
- Expand our Reading Promotion activities to 20 countries
- Increase audience reach and engagement across all channels
Fit for the future
To achieve our goals, we must ensure that we have the people, resources and infrastructure to take up opportunities, face challenges and respond to a rapidly changing world.
Between now and 2025, we will have three key focus areas:
1. People and partners
Our people and our partners are at the heart of everything we do, with the skills, experience and expertise that comes from delivering programmes and constantly evaluating the outcomes and impacts of our work.
Between now and 2025 we will ensure that all our staff and partners are trained, motivated and supported to do their best work. We will also work with our Board to assure the good governance of the charity and our adherence to high ethical standards.
2. Infrastructure
Our work relies on efficient logistics and the physical capacity to receive, process and deliver books around the world. It also requires effective fundraising and communications – both of which are increasingly moving to digital channels.
Between now and 2025 we will ensure that the charity has both the physical and digital capability to support all its activities, including remote working, more local activities being delivered by local experts and training being delivered online to librarians and teachers. We will also ensure our brand is strong, modern and engaging.
3. Sustainability
Our financial sustainability is dependent on the in-kind donations from UK publishers and the generous support of all our donors. Between now and 2025 we will continue to develop our relationships with publishers to ensure a high volume of book donations. We will invest in our fundraising to secure the income of the charity, and we will attract the next generation of supporters through compelling stories of change. We will carefully manage the funds of the charity, especially our free reserves and the environmental impact of our work.
Looking forward
A strategy for the future of any charity will ultimately be shaped by decisions about where it can make the greatest impact.
In our The power of books: Our vision for 2025 strategy we choose to focus our support on the most disadvantaged communities, we choose to partner increasingly with dynamic NGOs that really understand how to engage people in their communities with reading – and with local reading advocates, trainers and publishers.
Our focus remains on children and young people, for a reading habit acquired young lasts a lifetime. We extend our support to communities displaced by conflict and we are ready to step in when vital books are lost.
We know that everything we do is built on collaboration: with the publishers who donate the books we send, with our many supporters and friends, and with our inspirational partners around the world.
It is my sincere hope that together, we can create a more equal world in the years ahead by ensuring that even more people have the opportunity to read, learn and experience the power of books.
Alison Tweed, Chief Executive, Book Aid International