Why Education?
Education is the Key & Our Purpose
To understand what Bookfriends International is about is to understand our belief that education can generate the real, long-term solutions for many of our world’s problems. Strong democracies, vibrant economies and healthy societies can only progress on the foundation of an educated population. We center our efforts around supporting the African education system.
Bookfriends International was founded on the belief that every child deserves a chance to learn and to develop his or her individual abilities.
A shocking 27% of pupils who have attended school for six years cannot read, compared with 4% in Tanzania and 19% in Zimbabwe. After five years of school about half cannot work out that 24 divided by three is eight. Only 37% of children starting school go on to pass the matriculation exam; just 4% earn a degree.
– The Economist
Our founders envisioned that the surplus and used books in America could be put to efficient use to bolster educational opportunities in Africa. After years of working with many school teachers and administrators in Africa, we know even more fully that good books, properly placed, create individual growth and bring personal victories of dynamic proportions.
We know that when hearts and minds become hopeful, helpful and forward-looking, communities and whole societies benefit. Education is basic to tackling poverty, corruption and social injustice and to keep those problems from passing to the next generation.
An important element of our philosophy is to provide the right books to a school at the right time. We work closely with African schools to satisfy their individual needs.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
– Nelson Mandela