Reaching refugees

For people forced from home, books are a lifeline 

Today, more people are displaced than at any time since the Second World War. Many leave with little more than the clothes they are wearing and the few belongings they can carry. 

For these families, books are powerful. They allow learning to continue even when classrooms are closed, spark hope, and help people believe that a brighter future is possible. So we work with partners to make sure that, even on the move, people still have the chance to read. 

How we reach refugees

Around the world, NGOs and community organisations are supporting people fleeing conflict — and we work with them to create access to books.  

Last year, we supplied brand-new, carefully chosen books to 37 communities where people on the move are sheltering. In total, we supported 57,548 in Ethiopia, Greece, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Somalia and beyond. 

We also help create libraries that serve displaced communities. In Cameroon, for example, we supported the development of family lending libraries for people uprooted by fighting and delivered Discovery Book Boxes to children who have been displaced.  

And across refugee camps and settlements in Kenya and Uganda, our Reading for All programme has established 170 school libraries, benefiting 125,895 students so far.