Who are we?

We are a small group of people, based in the UK, who are passionate about books. Most of us had books growing up and those who didn't know the importance of having them. We have made it our mission to provide books for as many people as possible. We have discovered that there are many countries in Africa that are not covered by charitable organisations such as BookAid International and we are attempting to fill the void. One of the places we have started with is the village of Ifon Osun, Nigeria.

What have we done?

When we arrived in Ifon, we saw how badly books were needed. We were introduced to a library that had more empty shelves than books, broken windows and no lighting inside. I met teachers in schools who prepared for their lectures using their phones to access Wikipedia. I found an atlas that was so outdated that it was published before the capital city of Abuja had been built.


Unpacking the boxes.

Through extremely generous donations, we had collected dozens of boxes of books from various libraries, bookshops and very generous individuals from around London. By the time we left Ifon two weeks later, the shelves were overflowing and we couldn't have felt more proud.


Before and After

What are we doing now?

We are going back again. This time we are bringing books specifically for the young people of the village. So far we have collected two thousand books - children's non-fiction, picture books, textbooks for students, workbooks and revision guides - we are going to turn the bare room at the back of the library into a children's library.


The Children's Library at present.

We also are going to run a literacy drive modelled on the Summer Reading Challenge run by the Reading Agency in UK Public Libraries and have managed to collect stickers, badges, medals and certificates for children who complete the challenge. Through this project we aim to instill a love of reading that will continue for many generations to come.

What can I do?

This is our biggest collection of books to date. What we need help with is funding the cost of shipping - we have the books, we just need help to get them there!

If you have anything you can spare, please donate.

We regularly post pictures of our progress on our Facebook page so like and follow us to register your support.

Thank you for taking the time to read our CauseVox page and, if you can, please do support us.

Shaun
Project Coordinator