RE and Book Aid International: promoting reading in the developing world
Each of our divisions makes product donations a priority. For over seven years, they have worked in innovative partnership with key book partner, Book Aid International (BAI) finding ways to build on our mutual strengths – BAI’s knowledge of and passion for providing books to readers in the developing world and RE’s production of leading-edge products and services.
CEO Sir Crispin Davis publicly endorses BAI to encourage corporate support from other companies stating, “We are proud to be associated with such an outstanding charity tangibly improving global literacy, research and practice.”
Our work with BAI in 2008 includes:
- Donation of over 35,000 books
- Free stand at London Book Fair enabling the charity to meet with a wide range of potential book and financial donors
- £3,000 grant to support IT infrastructure at BAI’s London headquarters
- £14,000 grant to support a new project in Cameroon building community and educational libraries, and to improve librarian training
- Over 2,500 books donated by staff – the biggest staff contribution from a company in the year
Our impact:
- Approximately three million readers will benefit from nearly 600,000 books donated by RE in the past five years
- Approximately 60,000 readers will have the gift of reading through 12,000 books donated by staff since 2003
- In Namibia alone, during 2008 5,000 books were donated to 30 primary schools serving approximately 7,000 pupils; since 2004, RE has provided some 20,000 books to schools and libraries in the country
- A stamp, “Working together to grow libraries in developing countries,” in over 13 million Elsevier books since 2005 amalgamating the Book Aid, US book partner Sabre, and Elsevier logos has raised awareness among our customers
- We have enhanced our corporate responsibility standing. Our partnership with BAI won a Business in the Community “Merrill Lynch Raising Achievement Award Big Tick” in 2008; the partnership was also highlighted in the year on the London Benchmarking group website
Left: A young reader in Cameroon
enjoying the gift of reading thanks
to Reed Elsevier support for BAI