Reading for All

In refugee camps where schools lack resources, our Reading for All programmes establishes school libraries and provides teacher training so that children can thrive in the classroom.

Without books, hope is hard to find

In 2022, the number of forcibly displaced people around the world topped 108 million. 40% of them are under 18.

Schools in refugee camps are often hugely crowded. It’s not unusual for a single teacher to run lessons for over 100 children – often with just a few tattered textbooks. 

Displaced people can spend years or even generations waiting to return home or resettle elsewhere, so it is vital that children and young people have the chance to read and learn. Through Reading for All, that’s exactly what we offer.

The power of Reading for All

 Through Reading for All we establish school libraries in refugee schools – from pre-school right through to secondary. 

For primary age children, our focus is on providing picture books and phonics books, while for secondary students we often provide revision guides and inspiring non-fiction.

Our support includes funding to buy books locally too, along with training for teachers. Many are refugees who volunteer in schools, and so have had no or little training on how to enrich lessons. 

By setting up thriving school libraries, Reading for All gives thousands of refugees the power to change their lives for the better.

 

SDG 4

Quality Education

SDG 10

Reduced inequality

Impact since 2018

93,531

Refugees benefitting

90

Refugee school libraries opened

232

Refugee teachers trained

Changing lives in Kakuma

Close to 200,000 people live in Kakuma camp in north-west Kenya. Around two-thirds of all new arrivals are under 18 and many arrive alone. The books we provide through the Reading for All programme help these young people believe that a different future is possible:

I totally enjoy education! In the future I want to change my life and be a lawyer. I love reading. Especially, I love reading history. To be a lawyer you need to be good in languages so I read a lot of novels too. If I had no access to books life would be very bad. I would not be able to reach the place where I want to be.

Justin, 18 year old refugee, Kakuma Refugee Camp
Justin on his way to school in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya

What Reading for All delivers

  • Refugees gain access to vibrant, inspiring book collections chosen to support their learning
  • Teachers, who are often refugees themselves, develop new skills to enrich learning and help pupils succeed
  • Schools receive grants to purchase locally published books which reflect children’s won experiences

Fund this project

It costs £2,800 to create the next Reading for All library.

Find out more about our charity

Our mission and vision

Our vision is a world where everyone has access to books that will enrich, improve and change their lives.

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Our finances

At Book Aid International all the income we receive is from voluntary donations – we receive no government grants.

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