Supporting education
From primary school to university, pupils and students need books to help them succeed. Every year, we provide thousands of books to schools around the world, helping students reach their full potential.
Age-appropriate books in school libraries can help children and young people learn to read more easily, revise more successfully and pursue their ambitions. But around the world, many schools and universities cannot afford to buy the books that might help enrich their students’ educations.
That is why we make it a priority to create and support school libraries and to train teachers in how to use the books we provide to support learning in their classrooms. We work with our partners to ensure the brand new books are carefully selected for the children who will read them.
Creating and supporting school libraries
As well as supporting existing school libraries by donated brand new, carefully selected books, we also run work with our partners to establish new school libraries. When we create new school libraries, we also train teachers in how to use those books to enrich learning and we provide a grant to fund the purchase of locally published books.
Our Inspiring Readers programme has already provided books in the classrooms of over African 250,000 primary school pupils. We also create school libraries through our Explorer Library programme. The programme provides everything a primary school needs to create a beautiful, welcoming library space dedicated to reading and learning – including 2,000 books, a refurbishment grant to transform an empty space into a welcoming, child-friendly library, a grant to purchase local books and teacher training to ensure schools can manage their new libraries and support pupils.
In addition to these long-running programmes, we also work with partners to create a range of interventions that encourage regular reading as part of the school week or reading at home or in the community. For example, in Ghana’s deprived Northern region, we have worked with our partner AfriKids to create school libraries for over 20,000 local children, training over 80 teachers to support reading and learning. Afrikids and Book Aid International are both supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and our joint work is only possible through players’ generosity. We jointly thank players for their support.
Books for higher education
Around the world, many universities and colleges cannot afford to purchase the higher and further education books that their students need. While some texts are available online, they are often behind paywalls and with the internet often unreliable, the need for up to date print books remains urgent.
This lack of books can jeopardise the education of tomorrow’s professionals, leaving them without the up to date, accurate information they need.
Every year, we provide higher education books to over 300 further education institutions. These books cover all higher and further education topics – ranging from IT and law to science and economics.
“It is our wish that the partnership that exists between Mzuzu University and Book Aid International will grow from strength to strength.”
– Mzuzu University Library, Malawi