The Facts

• 6 percent of young people in the 15 – 24 age group are illiterate.
• 862 million adults and young people worldwide cannot read and write.
• 98 percent of people who cannot read and write live in developing countries.

The approach

• We solicit donations of suitable books from school systems, schools and individuals.
• We carefully sort—to identify books that are age and subject appropriate—and pack books.
• We ship to schools and libraries in three countries each year.
• The Project is staffed entirely by volunteers and provides a valuable volunteer opportunity to members of the World Bank Family Network (WBFN).

Did you know?

• The book project has sent over 3 million books to more than 100 countries in the past 35 years
• Volunteers contribute an average of 5000 hours each year