READ International
Encyclopedia
READ International is a charity (NGO) that aims to improve access to education in East Africa
by collecting school textbooks and children’s literature from primary and secondary schools throughout the UK, sorting through the books and sending the most relevant, up-to-date, and high quality ones to schools in Tanzania
and Uganda
. Any books collected which are not relevant or appropriate to send are sold online or recycled to generate funding.
. Now there are close to 1,000 student volunteers involved, operating from a network of over 45 university sites across the UK.
READ has grown rapidly and since their first shipment of books in 2005, they have shipped a total of 564,000 books to Tanzania
and are supporting the renovation of dozens of school libraries so that access to these books is also improved. They have also sent several tonnes of sports kits, science equipment, and school stationery. In Tanzania
and Uganda
they work closely with the Ministry of Education to ensure that their books go to where they are most needed.
and Uganda
follow a secondary school syllabus almost identical to the UK, but teachers often lack the resources needed to teach. In the UK newer editions of books inevitably replace the old (very often only a couple of years old though), which makes for good quality, but technically out of date textbooks filling up school store rooms or ending up in landfill. READ sends them to where they are really needed, improving access to education for thousands of children in East Africa
.
Self Storage provides free storage for all of the books they collect at any of their sites across the UK; British Airways
provides them with many free and heavily discounted flights for all of their volunteers; Latham and Watkins, a city law firm, provides pro bono legal support; KPMG
provides free office space in Dar es Salaam and Kampala; DHL
provides free and discounted logistics support; Staples collects disused stationery from thousands of UK schools and students at all of their UK stores; Waterstone's
collects books in their stores across the West Midlands
; and the British Library
has developed an electronic book sorting database for them to more accurately sort through all the books they collect.
in London. The anthology is a collection of stories from the Read for READ Short Story Competition, which saw aspiring writers being given the chance to showcase their work, and be judged for final publication by writer Sarfraz Manzoor
, publisher Sonny Leong, literary agent Clare Alexander, and the British Library’s Director of Human Resources, Mary Canavan. The winning stories, brought together in this anthology alongside work from established authors Ian MacLeod, Rhys Hughes
and John Saul
, celebrate the endless possibilities that can derive from a single book.
READ International also won the Best "Business-Charity Partnership" award at the Institute of Fundraising Awards 2010 and the "International Aid and Development Award" at the UK Charity Awards 2010.
Their Founder and previous Director Robert Wilson has been winner of the prestigious Unltd award, been a finalist in the Enterprising Young Brit Awards 2006, won the Social Enterprise Day Award 2006, been a finalist in the Edge Upstarts Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2008, and winner of the Enterprising Young Brit Award in 2010.
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
by collecting school textbooks and children’s literature from primary and secondary schools throughout the UK, sorting through the books and sending the most relevant, up-to-date, and high quality ones to schools in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. Any books collected which are not relevant or appropriate to send are sold online or recycled to generate funding.
Overview
READ International began life in 2003 as a Book Project based at Nottingham University, founded by a group of socially entrepreneurial students following a ‘gap year’ teaching in TanzaniaTanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. Now there are close to 1,000 student volunteers involved, operating from a network of over 45 university sites across the UK.
READ has grown rapidly and since their first shipment of books in 2005, they have shipped a total of 564,000 books to Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and are supporting the renovation of dozens of school libraries so that access to these books is also improved. They have also sent several tonnes of sports kits, science equipment, and school stationery. In Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
they work closely with the Ministry of Education to ensure that their books go to where they are most needed.
Why East Africa?
TanzaniaTanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
follow a secondary school syllabus almost identical to the UK, but teachers often lack the resources needed to teach. In the UK newer editions of books inevitably replace the old (very often only a couple of years old though), which makes for good quality, but technically out of date textbooks filling up school store rooms or ending up in landfill. READ sends them to where they are really needed, improving access to education for thousands of children in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
.
Supporters
READ has successfully established some very exciting partnerships: Big YellowBig Yellow Group
The Big Yellow Group Plc is a provider of self storage space in London and the South East of England. The Company is listed on the FTSE 250.-History:...
Self Storage provides free storage for all of the books they collect at any of their sites across the UK; British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
provides them with many free and heavily discounted flights for all of their volunteers; Latham and Watkins, a city law firm, provides pro bono legal support; KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
provides free office space in Dar es Salaam and Kampala; DHL
DHL
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
provides free and discounted logistics support; Staples collects disused stationery from thousands of UK schools and students at all of their UK stores; Waterstone's
Waterstone's
Waterstone's is a British book specialist established in 1982 by Tim Waterstone that employs around 4,500 staff throughout the United Kingdom and Europe....
collects books in their stores across the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
; and the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
has developed an electronic book sorting database for them to more accurately sort through all the books they collect.
Read for READ
In October 2010, READ launched their Read for READ anthology at the British LibraryBritish Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
in London. The anthology is a collection of stories from the Read for READ Short Story Competition, which saw aspiring writers being given the chance to showcase their work, and be judged for final publication by writer Sarfraz Manzoor
Sarfraz Manzoor
Sarfraz Manzoor is a journalist, documentary maker, and broadcaster. He is a regularly contributor to The Guardian, presenter of documentaries on BBC Radio 4, and a cultural commentator who appears on programmes such as Newsnight Review and Saturday Review. His first book, Greetings from Bury Park...
, publisher Sonny Leong, literary agent Clare Alexander, and the British Library’s Director of Human Resources, Mary Canavan. The winning stories, brought together in this anthology alongside work from established authors Ian MacLeod, Rhys Hughes
Rhys Hughes
Rhys Henry Hughes , is a Welsh writer and essayist.Born in Cardiff, Hughes is a prolific short story writer with an eclectic mix of influences, which include Italo Calvino, Milorad Pavić, Jorge Luis Borges, Stanisław Lem, Flann O'Brien, Felipe Alfau, Donald Barthelme and Jack Vance...
and John Saul
John Saul
John Saul is an American author of suspense and horror novels. Most of his books have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List.-Biography:...
, celebrate the endless possibilities that can derive from a single book.
Awards
Since registering as a charity they have had their work recognised in a number of ways. READ International was winner of Best New Charity in the Charity Times Awards 2007 , finalists in the Guardian Charity of the Year 2009, and finalists in the Charity Times Awards in 2009READ International also won the Best "Business-Charity Partnership" award at the Institute of Fundraising Awards 2010 and the "International Aid and Development Award" at the UK Charity Awards 2010.
Their Founder and previous Director Robert Wilson has been winner of the prestigious Unltd award, been a finalist in the Enterprising Young Brit Awards 2006, won the Social Enterprise Day Award 2006, been a finalist in the Edge Upstarts Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2008, and winner of the Enterprising Young Brit Award in 2010.