2024 Annual review
By sharing the power of books with communities around the world, we can provide life-changing information, inspire hope and help millions of people realise their ambitions.
Welcome
Throughout 2024 we have seen so many examples of how with books, people can begin to build a more equal future
Despite the many obstacles and crises that challenged them, our partners around the world found countless ways to share the power of books with their communities, and we were there to support them.
In Cameroon, we collaborated with teachers and NGOs to get families who are fleeing conflict reading together. In Somalia, we expanded our partnership network to reach more schools recovering from decades of war. And we worked with refugees and helped restock devastated libraries in countries ranging from Ukraine to Lebanon to Uganda.
None of our work would be possible without the thousands of people, companies, trusts and authors who give generously to our charity. Last year, we were delighted to see many of our most long-standing supporters and friends at a reception held for us by our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, to mark our 70th year. It was a very special moment.
As I reflect on our 70th year and look to the future, I know that by sharing the power of books with communities around the world, we can provide life-changing information, inspire hope and help millions of people realise their ambitions.
I would like to extend my warmest thanks to everyone who was a part of our successes last year, and I invite you to join us in 2025 and beyond.
Dr Alice Prochaska, Chair of the Board of Trustees
2024 in Numbers
How we supported partners
£94,432
Grants to purchase nationally published books
80
Partner facilitators upskilled
647
People trained to support reading
*Includes 26,962 nationally published books
**Includes reading spaces supported and established
The books we provided from the UK
648,117
Children and primary
161,706
Secondary education and teenage fiction
178,389
Adult fiction and leisure reading
101,932
Medicine and healthcare
132,596
Higher education, law and teacher training
86,564
English language and learning
3,593
Development
26,078
Vocational, technical and business
5,084
Reference
Access for all
In 2024, we worked with a wide range of partners to take the next step towards a world where everyone has the opportunity to read.
By working with a diverse range of organisations we aim to ensure that our books reach the broadest possible audience – offering people the opportunity to read for enjoyment, education and lifelong learning.
Delivering our five year strategy
Our Power of Books strategy will guide our work until 2025. It commits us to working to support readers facing the greatest barriers to reading and learning and is built around four goals: ensuring equitable access, engaging readers, investing in partnership and advocating for books.
We are now three years into our strategy, and this report reflects our progress to date.
Read our strategy
Books for all readers
In 2024 we supported national library services in 10 countries by providing a wide range of books – from picture books for the youngest readers to advanced medical and legal texts. This helps ensure that these libraries can serve the entire community.
To ensure everyone can access books we also worked with many grassroots organisations and NGOs who focus on reaching people who would otherwise have few opportunities to read throughout the year. For example, we provided books to 33 prison libraries, supported mobile library services and helped establish libraries in rural areas.
Supporting libraries
Generation Reader
Access to books is particularly important to young people so that they can succeed in education and reach their full potential.
So in 2023 we launched the Generation Reader campaign with the aim of providing books for 10 million children and young people across Africa by 2030. In the campaign’s second year, we exceeded our targets by providing 141,601 books and opening 71 new reading spaces to serve younger readers. In total, 426,288 young people have benefitted from Generation Reader in 2024.
Find out more
Creating equitable access
Throughout 2024, we worked to reach more communities where the barriers to reading and learning are at their highest.
By providing books to people who have been marginalised, affected by conflict or displaced by crisis we help ensure that learning can continue even in the most difficult circumstances.
Expanding access to books in communities impacted by poverty also plays a vital role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals – especially SDG 3: Good health and well being and SDG4: Quality education.
Achievements:
94%
of books provided to low and low-middle income* countries
33%
of books reached fragile and conflict-affected countries
*As defined by the World Bank
Enriching education
Last year we supported some of the world’s least resourced schools. For example, we provided 24,721 books for the Ministry of Education in Eritrea to support school libraries across the country and 14,812 books to education NGOs in South Sudan including Save the Children, Windle International and The Excellent Foundation for South Sudan.
We also expanded our work in Somalia, distributing 25,000 books to partners delivering learning opportunities across the country, including SOS Children’s Villages, Kaalmo Relief & Development and Finn Church Aid.
Find out more about our work enriching education
Establishing new school libraries
In Liberia, Malawi and Sierra Leone, we established four Explorer Libraries, giving 7,609 children access to brand-new libraries. Each Explorer Library includes a collection of new books, a grant to refurbish a library space, training for teachers and librarians on how to support reading and funding to purchase nationally published books.
We also distributed 16 Discovery Book Boxes to partners in Cameroon, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Zambia. These portable, durable boxes – each containing 200 carefully chosen books and a practical guide to promoting reading – enable reading and learning to flourish even in the absence of a formal library
Supporting quality healthcare
In many places where we work, medical schools and institutions lack the funding to purchase up-to-date medical titles, so in 2024 we provided 79,533 medical texts to 475 medical institutions in 14 countries.
This included large donations to medical partners in Cameroon, South Sudan, Sierra Leone and Malawi as well as smaller but no less impactful contributions. For example, we donated 1,039 books to support Action Child Cancer Africa in Ghana to establish a new library at Tamale Hospital for children undergoing cancer treatment.
Find out more
Responding to crisis
In 2024 we provided 438,339 books to 54 partners in fragile and conflict-affected countries. This included a donation of 1,221 books to the Sinjar Academy in Iraq, which was set up to support the Yazidis community in the wake of the 2014 genocide and 25,545 brand-new books to PEN Ukraine to help restock libraries damaged in Russia’s full-scale war.
We also supplied 20 Discovery Book Boxes to ten schools who lost books when Cyclone Freddy struck Malawi in 2023, offering students the chance to reconnect with reading and resume their learning journeys.
Find out more
Reaching displaced communities
In 2024 we worked to reach people living with or fleeing conflict and crisis.
We supported 32 partners who focus on supporting people who have been displaced, providing a total of 104,027 books. In Uganda, we worked with our partner the Windle Trust to create 51 school libraries in the Palyorinya and Kyangwali refugee camps, many of which were Solar Libraries.
Find out more
Engaging communities with reading
Throughout 2024, we worked with our partners to help more people discover the transformational power of books.
To foster meaningful engagement with books and reading, people need access to rich, diverse and relevant collections. In 2024, we supplied carefully selected, inspiring books to school libraries, community reading spaces and library outreach services across Africa and beyond.
We also provided grants to our partners, enabling them to purchase nationally published books which strengthen their collections. These grants supported the acquisition of 26,962 books in 2024.
Achievements:
2,065
school libraries established or supported
16
partners supported outside Africa
Getting families reading together
Last year, our Books to Go programme established lending libraries in 21 primary schools across Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Each school received book bags alongside donated books so students could take books home to enjoy reading with friends and relatives. Many participating teachers have noticed a new excitement about reading amongst their pupils.
Find out more
Inspiring reading in classrooms and public libraries
In 2024, we continued our Inspiring Readers programme, creating libraries designed to support children’s learning in 20 primary schools in Malawi and Zimbabwe. Each school was connected to a nearby Children’s Corner – a welcoming space in a public library enhanced through new books, librarian training and a grant for refurbishment. These school-library links give children new opportunities to engage with books.
We also opened two new Children’s Corners in Ghana, helping more young readers engage with books.
Introducing stories from near and far
We expanded the African Story Box programme in Uganda and Malawi in 2024, distributing 20 boxes to reach 25,547 young readers.
Each box offered a rich mix of 100 nationally published books alongside 100 carefully chosen UK storybooks, giving children the chance to explore both familiar and faraway worlds through reading.
Find out more
Supporting community and mobile libraries
Community and mobile libraries are a vital resource for readers who are unable to access public or school libraries, so we support community libraries in many of the countries where we work. In Rwanda we provided 1,369 books to iDebate Rwanda in support of the organisation’s mission to encourage young people to think critically and become active, engaged citizens.
In Uganda, we provided 8,722 books to the Community Libraries Association, while in Zambia we provided 5,101 books that are now on the shelves of Book Bus Zambia’s mobile library.
Find out more
Funding grassroots reading projects
2024 marked the third year of our Community Reading Awards, which support grassroots projects that bring books into the heart of communities and make reading more accessible to all. We gave 11 grants of £1,700 each, and winners included:
- Books to the Boys in Ghana, which has created a library and literacy programme at an institution for young offenders
- Jahunda Reading Club in Zimbabwe, which has set up a mini library for elderly people who care for their grandchildren
- Children’s Ward Mini Library in Tanzania, which is helping children read to relax and learn at Mnazi Moja hospital
Developing thriving partnerships
Last year we supported a wide range of partners to expand and enrich their work sharing the power of books.
Our partners are ideally positioned to encourage and support people in engaging with books for enjoyment, education and lifelong learning. By enabling our partners to expand their work, we can drive lasting, sustainable change for those who need books most.
In 2024, we provided books, funding and capacity-strengthening support to help our partners promote reading within their communities. We also grew our network by welcoming 40 new partners and supporting 16 partners from outside Africa.
Achievements:
38
partner facilitators upskilled
40
new partnerships formed
Providing training for sustainable change
Whenever we refurbish or establish a library or reading space, we accompany it with training on key topics such as library management, setting up lending systems, promoting reading in schools and engaging communities with books.
In 2024, we directly trained 137 individuals in these areas.
Find out more
Increasing partner capacity
Our approach is increasingly focused on building long–term sustainability by upskilling facilitators within partner organisations. This model enables our partners to enhance the support they provide to schools and libraries.
Last year, we trained 38 partner facilitators who, in turn, trained 510 teachers, librarians, and carers – extending our reach and multiplying impact.
Supporting book provision partners
In 2024 we launched online reader support workshops which offered book provision partners practical guidance and boosted their confidence in handling large book donations and getting the most out of the books they receive.
The workshops included discussions, videos and group tasks covering subjects such as how to catalogue donations and building balanced book collections. We welcomed 14 participants from 11 organisations and six countries for the first session, and four more workshops are planned for 2025.
Fostering peer learning and collaboration
In 2022, we launched our Partner Development Programme to strengthen our partners’ skills and encourage mutual support. As part of this initiative, partners came together to establish a Community of Practice (CoP) – a space to share experiences, exchange ideas and collaborate on solutions.
In 2024, nine partners from Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zimbabwe participated in the CoP by running six shared learning sessions focused on topics including project management, report writing, building organisational resilience and knowledge management.
Speaking up for reading
Throughout 2024, we supported partners’ work promoting reading and raised awareness of the urgent need for books worldwide.
Millions of people are held back by a lack of books and too often the impact of being without books goes unrecognised. So in 2024 our advocacy activities helped shine a light on the importance of access to books in communities around the world.
Achievements:
11
reader stories published
5,615
people attended Reading Promotion events
Supporting Reading Promotion
Through our Reading Promotion campaign, we supported library partners in 13 countries to run and publicise reading events on International Literacy Day with a grant to fund activities and marketing support.
In total, these events directly engaged a total of 3,393 children and 2,222 adults and raised awareness amongst thousands more about the importance of libraries through 30 pieces of press coverage.
Find out more
Raising awareness at London Book Fair
We were honoured in 2024 to be The London Book Fair’s joint Charity of the Year, alongside the National Literacy Trust.
During the fair, we organised two seminars where speakers included our President, Bloomsbury CEO and Founder Nigel Newton CBE; Head of Community Engagement at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Heidi Mulvey; and Senior Vice President of Elsevier, Dr Michiel Kolman. We also hosted a reception at the Bloomsbury stand where key industry figures came together to help drive support for future book donations and secured press coverage in leading book trade publications.
Highlighting readers’ voices
Sharing readers’ stories on our website, on social media and in the press both raises awareness of the importance of books and motivates UK audiences to support readers worldwide.
So in 2024 we published 11 new reader stories on our website which were viewed 3,194 times and shared those stories with our more than 26,000 social media followers. We also generated 366 pieces of press coverage.
Read more stories
Taking part in Hay Festival Global
In 2024 we deepened our connection with Hay Festival Global through our involvement with the Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye and with NBO Litfest in Nairobi.
In Hay-on-Wye, we welcomed an audience of 600 people at our event ‘Beyond Conflict: The Role of Libraries in Rebuilding Societies’ with authors Elif Shafak and Priscilla Morris and our Vice Patron, Lord Boateng. At NBO Litfest, we welcomed young readers to an African Story Box event at the festival’s new Children’s Corner where teacher Orpah Agunda ran a series of sessions to explore the joy of literature through storytelling.
Our supporters
We are supported by a wide range of individuals and companies who believe in the power of books. We are immensely grateful for their generosity.
Some lend their time, others donate books and many more give financially, but we are grateful to every person who is part of our community.
Individual donors
In 2024, close to 9,000 individuals chose to support our work, with each £2 donated helping to send another book. We are sincerely thankful for their generosity, as well as for those who have made major personal contributions or remembered us in their Wills.
Join the Reverse Book ClubOur school has fundraised for Book Aid International for years as I know it is a good cause.
Mrs Karen Hans MA FCLIP, school librarian and supporter
Corporate supporters
In 2024, 20 companies who share our belief in the power of books chose to support our work through financial donations. Their generosity helps make it possible for us to reach readers around the world.
Find out more about corporate supportThrough our Responsible Business initiatives, we have supported Book Aid International projects aligned with our global campaigns on youth and food security. We look forward to continuing this meaningful partnership.
Rob Bennett, Partner and Community Investment Team Leader, White & Case LLP
Trust funders
The long-term relationships we build with trusts like The Beit Trust, the People’s Postcode Lottery Education Trust, The Be Global Foundation and many others help us provide books and fund projects that transform reading for millions worldwide. Last year, 45 trusts supported our charity.
Give as a charitable trustOur Board has been especially impressed with Book Aid International’s focus on partnership.
Cheryl Butler, CEO, Talem Foundation
Our book donors
83 publishers donated 1,352,001 books to us in 2024. Our book donors included many of the world’s largest and most prominent publishers, some of whom donated more than 50,000 books, as well as a range of independent publishers who donate smaller volumes of more specialist texts which are highly valued by readers around the world.
Donate booksOur valued and ongoing partnership with Book Aid International is a vital way for Hachette UK to reach all readers across the globe.
Maura Wilding, Group Communications Director, Hachette UK
Financial overview
Our income
At Book Aid International all of our income is voluntary – we receive no government grants.
In 2024, our total income was £22,104,261. This included £2,796,559 in cash and £19,307,702 in the value of books donated by publishers
Our expenditure
Our total expenditure in 2024 was £20,875,744, including £2,652,423 of cash expenditure and £18,223,321 which represents the value of books distributed worldwide.
Whether salvaged from the ruins of a library in Ukraine, placed in the hands of a child in Beirut, shared in a refugee settlement in Uganda, or read behind prison walls in Cameroon, books fuel learning, open doors to opportunity and restore hope.
– Alison Tweed
Building a better future, one book at a time
We are determined to grow our work in 2025 and beyond.
In 2024, more than 120 million people were forcibly displaced globally, with millions of children and young people cut off from formal education. In Africa south of the Sahara, nearly 30% of school-age children were not attending school, and youth literacy stood at just 75%.
Yet even in the face of these immense challenges, we have seen the extraordinary impact that books can have. Whether salvaged from the ruins of a library in Ukraine, placed in the hands of a child in Beirut, shared in a refugee settlement in Uganda, or read behind prison walls in Cameroon, books fuel learning, open doors to opportunity and restore hope.
Looking ahead, we cannot guarantee that peace will prevail, economies will flourish, or that the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 will be fully realised. But what we can do is focus on the change within our reach.
Every book we send is a tangible step toward a brighter future for the millions of people our work reaches each year.
We are also deeply aware that our efforts – however meaningful – represent only a fraction of the global need. That is why in 2025, we are committed to scaling our impact. With the launch of our new distribution centre, we aim to provide two million books a year to our partners and readers worldwide by 2030.
Our dream is simple but powerful: to see a new generation of readers engaging with books – in classrooms, at home, in libraries, and in workplaces – and using the power of reading to shape their futures.
None of this would be possible without the incredible dedication of our partners, who make change happen in the most challenging of circumstances, and the extraordinary generosity of our donors who equip us with the tools to carry out our mission.
We thank you all for your work, and to your commitment to sharing the power of books.