DECEMBER 2002
£24,000 RAISED FROM SALE OF HARRY POTTER 'TEASER' CARD TO BENEFIT YOUNG READERS IN ERITREA
4.30pm, Thursday 12th December: a handwritten 'teaser' card from Harry Potter author, JK Rowling, was auctioned at Sotheby's for £28,680. Of the gross sale price £24,000 will go to Book Aid International, a little known development agency, who will use the money to provide 18,500 books for schools in Eritrea and other African countries. Sadly hardly any Eritrean children have books of their own since it is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Luckier readers around the world are waiting with baited breath to find out what the future holds for the boy-wizard, Harry Potter. By putting together this card JK Rowling has harnessed the tidal wave of interest in the next Harry Potter book as a force for good.
But in the developing world millions of children are denied the opportunity to choose what they read and must use whatever they can find - whether it's scraps of newspaper, or a science text book - as the tools for practising their literacy skills. Book Aid International's vision is of a world in which readers of all ages have access to the books and information they need, whether they're reading for pleasure or learning new skills that will open up employment opportunities.
Gebrenegus Berhane works at the Eritrean Ministry of Education and he is in the UK this week selecting books from Book Aid International's library and warehouse in London. He told us,
"This is a really special gift for readers in Eritrea. I have children of my own so I understand how a good book can light up a child's world. It is vital that Eritrean children grow up loving books, so they will keep on reading throughout their lives. The Eritrean nation needs to becomes a nation of readers. We must have literacy skills in order to participate in society, to gain employment and for our economy to grow. Only then can we find ways to escape the threat of poverty that looms in the lives of so many people."
Notes for editors:
Book Aid International is able to make a big difference for such a small amount of money because of the high level of support it receives from publishers in the UK. JK Rowling's publishers, Bloomsbury, feature among the charity's regular supporters. In the autumn of this year Bloomsbury, and their subsidiary A&C Black, gave away 40,000 children's books - including a number of copies of Harry Potter books.
Book Aid International supports local initiatives by providing books for readers of all ages in 40 of the poorest countries in the world. We make books available to schools, mobile and community libraries, hospitals, refugee camps and a range of other organisations working to support education and training.
And in the longer term we are working towards a sustainable solution to the problem of book shortages by supporting the development of the local book trade. The aim is that locally produced and culturally relevant books should be made available for readers in Africa and beyond.
Book Aid International is also working to influence key players in the UK and internationally to give greater recognition to the essential role that libraries have to play in development.
Eritrea ranks 148th out of 162 countries in the UNDP's Human Development Index. Currently just 57% of children enroll in primary education. Severe book shortages and teacher shortages are also affecting the quality of learning that these pupils receive. However, the government has directed massive resources into improving and expanding education in Eritrea (government expenditure on education in 1999/2000 had increased sixfold from figures in 1992 to 229.8 million NFA, £15million at today's exchange rates)
Source: http://www.erimoe.gov.er