Book Aid International 2021 Annual Review

Our full accounts
Welcome
2021 was another extraordinary year. Covid continued to dominate headlines and lives here in the UK and around the world.
The pandemic kept so many classrooms closed – and millions of students, in particular girls, will never return to school. More families have been pushed into poverty, and conflict and climate change have driven yet more people from home.
In this difficult landscape, our work creating access to books matters so much. Books help students catch up, help adults chart a course out of poverty and help families facing war find the strength to carry on.
And so I am delighted that in 2021 we once again sent more than one million books around the world. We also expanded our programmes creating and supporting new reading spaces and launched innovative new projects to reach more readers.
I would like to personally thank each and every person who supported our charity last year. This Annual Report highlights just a few of the readers you helped us reach in 2021. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Lord Boateng, 2021 Chair of the Board of Trustees and current Vice Patron
Covid in 2021:
Building on our initial response
As the pandemic continued into its second year we built on lessons learned in 2020 to reach out to readers around the world.
In 2021 the effects of Covid continued to create challenges – delaying shipments and projects and creating a climate of uncertainty. And yet, with the support of our donors and publishing partners, we were able to deliver the majority of our planned programmes and provide more than one million books once again.
2021 in Numbers
In 2021, we worked with 150 partners, providing 1,007,449 books to people in 24 countries. They are available to an estimated 19.3 million people.
Our impact:
Books to enrich education
In 2021, school closures during the pandemic left millions of children behind – so the need for books to help pupils catch up was greater than ever.
World Bank research in 2021 found that the number of 10-year-olds unable to read a simple book
could soon rise as high as 70% in some low and middle-income countries. Good-quality books in
schools could help these children receive the education they deserve, but in the communities
where we work well-stocked school libraries are rare. Many schools have no library at all.
So last year we provided brand-new, carefully selected books to school libraries and worked with our partners to establish new reading spaces in schools. The books we provided ranged from story books to support young readers right through to advanced non-fiction for secondary school pupils preparing for exams.
Our impact:
Books in communities
In far too many places, books remain a luxury – out of reach for huge numbers of people.
Public and community libraries often offer the only chance for people to read, but many lack the funds to buy new books. Community libraries, in particular, are often run by volunteers with very few resources. In 2021 we provided brand-new books of all types to 270 public libraries and 535 community libraries.
They ranged from networks of libraries spanning entire countries to small community libraries that serve a single village. Many have outreach programmes and mobile libraries that also benefited from the books we provided.
Our impact:
Books for professionals
In many of the countries we work in, professionals and higher education students face multiple barriers to accessing up to date information.
Libraries often lack the funds to buy books for higher-education students, and practising professionals are also unable to purchase the up-to-date books that they need. Unreliable internet and electricity mean that digital information is often out of reach as well.
In 2021 we provided 60,438 higher education books and 89,069 medical books around the world to support higher-education students and practising professionals in a variety of fields. Our partners included the Hawassa University in Ethiopia, AMREF Health Africa in Kenya, the University of Liberia and the College of Medicine at the University of Malawi.
Our impact:
Books during crisis
In 2021, the number of people around the world forced to flee their homes rose to more than 82 million.
The impact of a crisis on education and learning can be devastating, with millions of people robbed of the chance to read. In 2021 we worked with partners worldwide to create the opportunity to read for people who have been displaced or who live in communities where conflict is an everyday reality.
Meeting our strategic goals
2021 marks the end of our Vision 2020 strategy, and our charity has grown and changed significantly since the strategy was launched in 2017.
Our Vision 2020: Where Books Change Lives strategy was due to guide our work until 2020. In light of the pandemic, we extended the strategy for one more year.
Five key objectives shaped our work during the strategic period and, in meeting them, we have grown our partner network, increased our focus on reaching people with the least access to books and developed new ways to support education.
Our supporters
We are only able to give millions of people the opportunity to read because we are supported by thousands of people and companies here in the UK.
Some give £6 a month, others make multi-year grants and others donate the brand new books that readers around the world need. But they all contribute to a world where everyone has access to books. Heer you can meet a few of the inspiring people who help us share the power of books around the world.
Financial overview
At Book Aid International all of our income is voluntary – we receive no government grants.
Our income
In 2021, our total income was £12,567,896, of which £2,554,623 was cash and £10,013,273 was the value of books donated to us by UK publishers.

Our expenditure
Our total expenditure was £15,587,726, of which £2,308,575 was cash expenditure and £13,279,151 was the value of the books we provided around the world.


Looking forward
In 2021 the global pandemic continued to impact millions of children in their learning, push more people into poverty and further erode progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
At Book Aid International we know books give people power. A book offers information, inspiration, hope, joy. And so much more. We are committed to sharing the power of books with even more people in the years to come because we know that books help build a more equal world.
In 2022 we launch our new strategy for 2022 to 2025: The Power of Books. It is based on four key goals: equity, engagement, partnership and advocacy.
To ensure equity of access to books we will focus our work on the places with fewest resources, and on the most marginalised communities. To get people engaged with reading we will support school, public and community libraries, and anywhere where people can access books and read. And we will take every opportunity to advocate for the power of books to improve and change lives.
To do all this we will call on the support of publishers and donors, the skills and determination of our partners and the encouragement of our many friends who believe, as we do, in the power of books.
Thank you for helping us work towards our vision of a world where everyone has access to books. I do hope you will continue to support us in the years ahead.
Alison Tweed, Chief Executive, Book Aid International