How Can Your Old Textbook Fight the Book Famine in Africa?

On our shelves at home sit old books that once enriched and encouraged us. It’s a shame to think they’ve been left to gather dust. But there is an alternative; for as little as 50 cents, a pre-loved book can be shipped across the globe to a grateful new owner. In this episode we talked with Patrick Plonski from Books For Africa about the challenge of meeting Africa’s huge demand for reading material.

Spreading Hope and New Ideas

English is the lingua franca in many countries in Africa. Unfortunately, libraries tend to be poorly stocked. This drives huge demand for English books. Books For Africa takes on the mammoth logistical task of getting the right books to the right people. When you donate books, they have to be collected and sorted to make sure they are relevant and high quality. They are then shipped and eventually distributed. Patrick never imagined Books For Africa would manage to ship 50 million books, but they reached this milestone in 2020. He attributes this to the power of perseverance.

Listen to the whole interview to find out why it’s so vital to donate textbooks and to see the result of a recent shipment of children’s books to Sierra Leone. You can also get involved by donating funds or books.