FEBRUARY 2002
BOOK AID INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES APPEAL IN SUPPORT OF EDUCATION IN EAST AFRICA
There is an overwhelming need for books in schools and libraries in East Africa. To help meet this need Book Aid International has launched an appeal to the UK book trade to coincide with World Book Day next month. The appeal target is £40,000 which will pay for 30,000 books to reach young readers overseas.
A rapid growth in education provision in recent years presents an ever more urgent demand for books. A recent letter to Book Aid International from David Wareham, a VSO teacher in Kenya, reveals the extent of book shortages in schools, "I distributed children’s books to three of the nine primary schools in the area. None of these schools had any books whatsoever and if a child wants one, the books are quite expensive, much more than the parents can afford when they themselves are fighting for survival."
Every £1.30 received by Book Aid International will pay for one more children’s book for Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda.
As well as meeting immediate book needs Book Aid International is also working to support the local book trade in Africa and to enhance the profile of libraries which act as ‘universities of the people’, by providing free access to books.
To kick start this appeal Pearson have pledged a donation of £5,000 and with this they hope to motivate other book trade supporters to give generously towards this vital work. "We have a long association with Book Aid International," said Marjorie Scardino, Pearson CEO "We applaud their work in developing countries and share their belief that education opens doors for individuals and societies. We’re happy to play our part in this latest campaign."
Being named as a designated charity for World Book Day has helped Book Aid International to raise its profile in the UK and has generated substantial financial support from schools. The total donations received since 1998 stand at £150,000. The target for this appeal has been set at £40,000 since this matches the amount that Book Aid International hopes to receive from fundraising events in UK schools on World Book Day 2002.
Mark Barty-King, the current Chairman of the World Book Day Committee spoke in support of Book Aid International and this appeal when he said,"I am enormously impressed by what Book Aid International is doing to spread reading and education overseas. All the team at World Book Day feel that supporting the Book Aid International initiative is also a means of making World Book Day a truly international event. We greatly value our association with Book Aid International which becomes more exciting year by year."