Book Aid International
Every purchase of our Book Aid International Book Token helps the charity share the power of books with people around the world who would otherwise have few books, or even no books at all.
Other ways we support reading
Around the world, there are millions of people who have never seen or held a new book. There are millions of schoolchildren who can learn only by sharing a single threadbare textbook. There are millions of people who have never been encouraged to read, or to escape into the pages of a book.
Books encourage people to question the world around them. They light up imaginations and ambitions. With books, the quality of education soars, families fighting poverty learn new skills to grow businesses that thrive and a better future feels more achievable than ever.
That is why Book Aid International works for a world where everyone has access to books.
The charity provides over one million new books every year in the places where they will make the biggest difference, and sets up libraries, trains people to run them and works with a global network of partners to spark a love of reading.
Together with its partners worldwide, Book Aid International works everywhere from refugee camps, prisons and hospitals to remote schools where there has never been a library before. In the places where it’s hardest to become a doctor or where teachers struggle to encourage children to dream big, that’s where they’re determined to put the books into people’s hands.
To find out more about Book Aid International visit bookaid.org.
Find out more
So far you've helped send more than 7,000 new books to people who need them!
Every time you buy one of our special Book Aid International charity gift cards, the charity receives 1% of its value.
All of the books the charity sends are donated by publishers, so it costs just £2 to send the next brand-new book. Thanks to your support, we've given almost £15,000 to Book Aid International. That’s enough to send 7,500 brand-new books.
Each book the charity sends is a bridge away from inequality and towards a more equal future for all. They are a life-line for readers like Francisca, Yvonne and Fikanyako.
Want to get involved? There are many ways you can support the charity’s work, from donating to fundraising or volunteering.
Our special gift card can be bought in your local bookshop or online.
Fighting injustice in rural Ghana
14 year-old Francisca lives in rural Ghana. Her community isn’t wealthy, and she’s seen injustice first-hand. Thanks to the books in her school, she plans to do something about it.
“I want to become a lawyer to help innocent people achieve success. The rich men will sometimes come and see land and will just buy it without the owner’s permission, so I want to stand for them. I just want Ghana to be a better place.”
Francisca works hard in school and the books help her in her studies – but she finds much more than facts and figures in books.
“I love reading! When I take the books out and read it’s like I’m talking to my friend. When I get a book I love, I go and read somewhere quiet where no one will disturb me. If I went to school and there was not a single book, that would make me feel very bad! Because I would feel like I did not have any friends with me.”
Read Francisca's storyBeating the odds in Kakuma Refugee Camp
Yvonne was born in a refugee camp. Her family has fled from two genocides and a war since 1972. For the last twelve years, Yvonne has lived in one of the world’s largest refugee camps: Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya.
Life in the refugee camp is challenging – but Yvonne is determined to build a new future for herself. And the books you help to send have been an important part of her journey.
“I have read about women who have succeeded. I believe I can succeed too. From my childhood I have seen people succeeding through education – and you get education through books. So, for me, my dream is to go out of the camp and become someone who has an identity in a country – so I can no longer be called a refugee. I am going to achieve this through books.”
Yvonne studied hard and, with the help of her well-stocked library, she won a scholarship. Now she’s studying Computer Science in Canada.
“If I did not have books, I do not think that I would be as I am today. In school, I used books throughout my whole process of learning. Without books I don’t think I would have learned anything and I would not have been qualified to apply for a scholarship.”
Providing healthcare through books
Fikanayo worked as a midwife in rural Malawi for many years. Without her clinic, many of the mums she supported would have had no access to healthcare. The books Book Aid International bas been able to provide through your support are essential to helping medical professionals like Fikanayo provide quality healthcare.
“Working as a midwife in the remote area where I work – it is like you are the chief consultant! You are the obstetrician, the gynaecologist, the anaesthetist, the paediatrician. There are times that you are not sure what to do! For instance, you might have a lady in labour who has a condition you have never come across. A book does wonders because you can look and see how you can go about something.”
Fikanayo is now studying public health after seeing so many mums struggle to mange their diabetes. And once again, books are a vital resource:
“Currently I am doing research on diabetes self-care. The idea is I take the information I learn here [in the library] and turn it into information for the patients in their homes. But if the books were not here it would be very hard. The books elaborate and make it easier. The internet might tell you something but books are better. They give you more information.”
Read Fikanayo's story
Supporting reading for everyone
We've been proud sponsors of World Book Day for nearly 30 years. We also support other literary charities and prizes, work with schools to promote reading for pleasure, and invest in high street bookshops.
Who we work with
