Thousands of books are being dispatched from the Save the Children HQ in Northern Ireland. It’s part of a donation made by Penguin in response to the disruption caused to children’s education during the covid pandemic.
This is the latest phase of an unprecedented donation from Penguin Random House which has seen more than one million books go to children across the globe in the last three years. Working with its long-standing partner Save the Children, the aim is to spread the joy of reading to children everywhere. The historic donation is the largest global book donation in Save the Children’s history.
Laura Feeney, Practice & Partnership manager with Save the Children in NI, said: “Reading with your child is a way of helping them understand the world around them through joy and imagination. It helps to boast their brain development and creates a special time to bond and connect.
“Unfortunately not all children have access to books. Through this fantastic donation from Penguin we will be able to help spark hundreds of children in their love for reading. The books will be distributed across local communities and in the Autumn we will be hosting pop-up reading stands, where children will hear live storytelling and receive the gift of a book.”
Children, programme staff and school leaders, who received books as part of the global donation, have testified to its huge impact.
“We are mobilizing resources to construct a community library at the village and these books will add value,” said one teacher in India.
While in North Carolina, a Head Start centre director said: “The books were the absolute best gift for the children in our programme. This donation will build their reading and developmental skills.”
“Save the Children is one of our most beloved partnerships. As an organization, their unparalleled access to and nuanced understanding of communities around the world have helped us reach more children with our books than ever before,” said Claire von Schilling, EVP and Director of Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility for Penguin Random House.
“A global donation of this scale requires masterful on-the-ground coordination across territories and local offices, and I am so thankful to our Save the Children partners and Penguin Random House publishers around the world who have worked tirelessly to make this happen. Together, we can—and will—continue to change children’s lives through the magic of reading.”
