Charity of the week: Books for Africa

Books for Africa (booksforafrica.org) collects, sorts, ships, and distributes books to children across Africa. Since its founding, in 1988, the charity has provided more than 24 million high-quality books to children and young adults in 45 African countries. Its goal is to end

the “book famine” in Africa, where empty shelves are a common sight in public libraries and teachers must often make do with only one book for every 20 students. By shipping crates of books to schools, orphanages, community centers, and libraries, Books for Africa hopes to foster a culture of literacy for the next generation of African parents, teachers, and leaders. The charity accepts gifts of popular fiction, nonfiction, and educational and reference books, as well as financial donations.

Each charity we feature has earned a four-star overall rating from Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator ranks not-for-profit organizations on the effectiveness of their programs, their control of administrative and fund-raising expenses, and the transparency of their operations. Four stars is the group’s highest ranking.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up