I am the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Community Action Support Association in The Gambia, also known as CASA Gambia. CASA Gambia has been operating since October 2015. 

Our organisation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in Gambian communities by promoting sustainable growth. We empower grassroots communities through capacity building and advocacy for effective policy formulation and implementation. Our guiding motto is “Paving the Way for Self-Driven Development.” 

We serve in all the five Regions in The Gambia, the community we live in is quite diverse, but reading is not so much of a culture.

I am a book worm. Reading has offered me a wealth of knowledge on diverse subjects, allowing me to learn about new ideas, cultures, and perspectives. Books allow people to make informed decisions and navigate the world with greater awareness and act as a tool for personal growth and empowerment.   

Books can help communities overcome challenges by providing a sense of understanding, validation, and inspiration through a relatable characters and stories that deal with similar struggles, allowing individuals to learn coping mechanisms and feel less alone in their experiences. By seeing characters in book face challenges, children are able to understand that these obstacles are just a part of life.  

CASA Gambia has been partnering with Book Aid International since 2023 and has received three consignments [of brand-new books]. 

Shipments of books arriving and being sorted for distribution

The 2,632 books received have been distributed to schools, libraries, prisons, Tertiary Institutions, Colleges and University of The Gambia.

We have made it a point of duty to donate books to community centres, libraries and schools to encourage people to read and know some more of the world.

We have established reading clubs that have significantly improved literacy levels and fostered a strong culture of reading among our beneficiaries.  

Children enjoying donated books

At CASA Gambia, we rely heavily on this book donation initiative and often refer to it as “the enabling treasures for our future generation”. These books are more than just paper and ink – every wrapped page holds the potential to create possibilities, inspire hope, and expand irreplaceable knowledge.  

Hear more about the impact of book donations in this short film:

I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt that, the communities we serve will take advantage and leverage the books donated to them and make a life out of them. The future of reading communities is likely to be more interconnected and diverse.  

As reading books offers a range of benefits including reducing stress, improving concentration and memory, boosting empathy, expanding vocabulary, enhancing creativity and increasing knowledge by exposing one to new ideas and perspectives, we are appealing to Book Aid International to increase the number of books donated to CASA Gambia, to enable reach more communities and touch more lives.

You can find out more about the work of CASA Gambia and our partnership at their website here: Books Changing Lives: CASA Gambia and Book Aid International Bring the Gift of Reading – CASA Gambia 

All photos (c) CASA Gambia

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