I have had the pleasure and privilege of being Book Aid International’s Chief Executive since 2012. In that time, I’ve seen the power of books first-hand, particularly for the children and young people our work has reached in schools, libraries and universities across the continent, but also in refugee camps and informal settlements, where access to books is at its most challenging. 

It is a stunning statistic that by 2030, 30% of the world’s young people will live in Africa. That’s 733 million young people who have the potential to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, journalists and more.

Yet millions of young Africans are at risk of being left behind because they lack access to books, and a quality education. 

These young people are at the heart of our new campaign, Generation Reader. Through Generation Reader we will significantly scale up our work in schools and communities, giving 10 million young people access to 1.5 million carefully chosen, brand-new books, creating 300 new reading spaces and training 1,500 teachers and librarians in supporting young people’s reading. 

Generation Reader will prioritise access to books for the young people facing the greatest challenges, including those being raised in poverty, experiencing discrimination and marginalisation and those who cannot attend formal school. It will also equip further and higher education students with the latest books to ensure they have the books they need to complete their degrees and join the global workforce of the future.  

And we’ll aim to do it all by 2030, when the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals will be assessed for their success and impact. 

It is a big ambition, responding to an even greater challenge, and it will only be possible through effective partnership. Our Generation Reader partners range from small grassroots NGOs serving remote rural communities to some of Africa’s largest library services. They know how to get young people reading, and are ready to get started.  

But to make Generation Reader a reality, we need more charity partners here who can help us raise £4m by 2030 to roll out Generation Reader. We’re actively seeking more business charity partnerships and other funders who believe, as we do, in the power of books.

We know that these successful charity partnerships deliver positive change around the world, and if you want to be a part of Generation Reader, we would love to hear from you.   

Together, we can help a generation of readers unlock their potential.