Books2Africa

Posted On: 20/03/19

Back in September, 12MWa decided to take on a charity project as a tutor group to make a difference! The Maths Department had an abundance of old Maths textbooks which needed to be gotrid of. The students decided to donate them so they could still be used elsewhere.

During this process, they came across the charity Books2Africa. According to the UNESCO World Bank, 90% of children who go to school in Africa (202 million children) cannot read or write after finishing school, partly because they lack books. In addition, 13 million books, most of which are in great condition, are thrown away and go to landfill in the UK every year. The mission of Books2Africa is to improve and sustain the quality of education in Africa by providing books and educational resources, enabling students to acquire knowledge and achieve their full potential in a globalised world.

Their first goal was to bring in spare boxes so that they could start filling them with books. Their registration mornings were occupied by filling up, taping, double-taping and sometimes triple-taping boxes! They also weighed them to ensure they were within the postage weight limit.

In order to raise money for the postage, the students had a stall at the Autumn Fayre. Furthermore, they organised a Bake Sale which was a huge success. They managed to raise a grand total of £357.13. Once they had raised the money for the postage, they were able to send all the boxes away. They bid their goodbyes to the Parcel Force van full of boxes about to begin their huge journey to Africa.

Overall, not only has this been an amazing project to be a part of, but it’s also brought the Sixth Formers together as a tutor group! The next project they have decided to take on is to raise money for the World Land Trust in order to sponsor and protect land in a rainforest in Ecuador. This will conserve biodiversity and protect endangered species. For every £100, they will be able to buy and protect an acre of land. Stay tuned!