THE BEAUTIFUL GIFT OF READING
As we wrap up our week of Beautiful Reads, we are looking at how books are making a positive impact, not only on our individual lives, but on the lives of entire communities, especially those in need.
We’ve gathered a list of some of our favorite philanthropy & social impact organizations that do beautiful work to promote literacy. We hope you are moved to be generous.
Book Aid International does beautiful work in sub-Saharan Africa, providing books and libraries to poor communities and mobile libraries for nomadic groups.
“Book Aid International increases access to books and supports literacy, education and development in sub-Saharan Africa. We provided 507,787 new books to over 2,000 libraries last year alone and have sent more than 30 million books to partner libraries since 1954.”
Reach Out and Read is special because it integrates literacy programs with pediatric healthcare -- for healthy bodies and healthy minds.
“Reach Out and Read prepares America’s youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together.
Doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals incorporate Reach Out and Read’s evidence-based model into regular pediatric checkups, by advising parents about the importance of reading aloud and giving developmentally-appropriate books to children.
The program begins at the 6-month checkup and continues through age 5, with a special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities. Families served by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills, better prepared to achieve their potential.”
3. Literacy for Incarcerated Teens (LIT):
Literacy for Incarcerated Teens works to end illiteracy in incarcerated teens to help set them on a more beautiful life path.
“Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, Inc. (LIT) is the only non-profit organization of its kind working to end illiteracy among New York’s incarcerated young people by inspiring them to read. There is a link between engaging young people in meaningful activities, particularly those aimed at helping to shape young people’s identities and outlooks, and their ability to desist from crime.
Reading and the practice of literacy—which include access to a library and library services—is a direct way in which young people can begin to focus their identities and outlooks more positively.”
4. First Book:
“First Book provides access to new books for children in need. To date, First Book has distributed more than 85 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education by making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis.”
First Book makes a beautiful transformation in the lives of low income children by providing them with the books and resources they need to receive a quality education.
5. Reading Tree:
Reading Tree does beautiful work for both disadvantaged children and the planet by keeping books out of landfills.
“Reading Tree is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide books to disadvantaged families in the markets we serve. We accept all types of books and support literacy with our sustainable model of reuse, recycling and fund-raising.
Reading Tree is committed to keep millions of usable books out of our nation’s landfills. Since 2007, Reading Tree has distributed several million books to Title 1 schools and partnering charities that support local libraries and literacy programs.”
United Through Reading provides a beautiful way for families, who are separated due to military service, to connect by reading together virtually.
“Our mission is to unite families facing physical separation by facilitating the bonding experience of reading aloud together. Our vision is that all children will feel the security of caring family relationships and develop a love of reading through the read aloud experience.
United Through Reading, the nation’s first nonprofit to promote the read aloud experience for separated families, offers deployed parents the opportunity to be video-recorded reading storybooks to their children which creates positive emotional connections and cultivates a love of reading.”
7. The African Library Project:
The African Library Project builds and fills libraries to bring the beautiful gift of reading to remote African communities.
“The African Library Project changes lives book by book by starting libraries in rural Africa. Our grassroots approach mobilizes U.S. volunteers, young and old, to organize book drives and ship books to a partner library in Africa. Our method makes a concrete and personal difference for children on both continents.”
Books for the Barrios brings the gift of Beautiful Reads to remote areas of the Philippines.
“Books for the Barrios is a not-for-profit, public-benefit California corporation run by volunteers that collects school textbooks, educational learning aids and devices from schools, publishers and schoolchildren in the United States and delivers them to remote barrio public schools throughout the Republic of the Philippines.
Priority is given to those schools that are most deprived and most remotely located without regard for politics, religion or ethnicity.”
9. Friends of African Village Libraries
Friends of African Village Libraries believes that access to books is as important as access to other basic life necessities.
“Friends of African Village Libraries is committed to long-term management of and support for small community libraries in rural Africa. Our goal is to establish long-term relationships with community libraries, rather than provide an initial donation and move on to another village. This is why the number of libraries in our network is small, as they are carefully managed to ensure their continued success. Burkina Faso alone has thousands of villages with primary schools and no libraries; the needs are immense, the means to address the need are limited.
Children, young adults, farmers, weavers, traders, and others in very poor villages should have similar access to information- through books and other media- as people in developed countries. FAVL operates under the belief that true development can only happen when people are empowered by access to information and the habits of reading and critical thinking.
FAVL strives to include in every library collection as much relevant, useful information as is available- whether about building a compost pit, a chicken coop, or treatment of dysentery.”
10. Read a Book South Africa & Vodacom
Vodacom, the mobile service provider with a pan-African presence, is partnering with Read A Book South Africa to promote literacy.
Only 15 percent of the population has access to a proper library. To help bring reading to more people in SA, Vodacom plans to install an e-reader app in the 45 tablet devices that will be available freely in the 9 Vodacom ICT resource centers.
The e-books will include African literature, History, Business and Entrepreneurship, Fiction and more. It’s a small start, with hopes for a more widespread effort soon.
Read more about Beautiful Reads, it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including The Best of Most Beautiful Reads, 10 Beautiful Reads: Apps and Spaces, 10 Beautifully Delicious Reads Now, The Best of Most Beautiful Reads, 10 Beautiful Places to Read, Read, Read, and Reading Brains Now.
And check out our list of the most Beautiful Books to give here.
Enter this week’s BN Creative Competition. Our theme this week is Beautiful Reads. Deadline is 03.30.14.
PHOTO CREDITS
- Photo: Courtesy of Book Aid International. Students gather for lessons in Sudan.
- Photo: Courtesy of Book Aid International. Book delivery to Nambi Sseppuuya CRC.
- Photo: Courtesy of Michigan State University. Reach out and Read Michigan.
- Photo: Courtesy of Children of Bellevue. Reach Out and Read.
- Photo: Courtesy of ArtsnDreams. Painting Affirmations through Literacy of Incarcerated Teens.
- Photo: Courtesy of First Book. Julianne Moore signing her new book for a child in Harlem.
- Photo: Couresy of Crowd Fund Insider. Stacks of books.
- Photo: Courtesy of United Through Reading. Child watching television.
- Photo: Courtesy of African Library Project. Books en-route to Mohale's Hoek High School in Lesotho.
- Photo: Courtesy of Books for the Barrios. Republic of the Philippines.
- Photo: Courtesy of Titi Sule. Girl reading in Africa.
- Photo: Courtesy of Tablet DIY. Reading in South Africa.
