Olive School Hackney Celebrates World Book Day 2015
The Olive School children and staff participated in World Book Day on Thursday 5th March 2015. They dressed up as their favourite characters from world literature and in the process raised money for a very worthwhile cause.
World Book Day is a partnership of publishers, booksellers and interested parties who work together to promote books and reading for the personal enrichment and enjoyment of all. A main aim of the World Book Day aim is to help children explore the pleasure of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.
However, for millions of children in the developing world, books are a precious resource which very few can afford. At Shine Charity, we are dedicated to increasing access to books and supporting literacy initiatives in the developing world. In 2013 and 2014, we worked in partnership with Book Aid International to provide accessible, compact and portable book box libraries to 15 primary schools on Pemba Island in Zanzibar. The project is benefiting more than 10,000 children.
The Indian Ocean islands of Zanzibar and Pemba lie off the east African coast. Although tourism is Zanzibar’s newest and biggest industry, the average wage remains less than $1 per day. In Pemba, the Wete district was identified as the second poorest district with 61% of the people living below the poverty line. Poverty and illiteracy contribute to the problem of child labour on Pemba, with many children working alongside older family members in breaking stones for building, seaweed harvesting, and fishing.
To mark World Book Day 2015, we are working in partnership with schools and organisations to support the expansion of this project to five other primary schools in Zanzibar.
Every year, we work in partnership with schools and organisations requesting all our supporters to contribute £2 to help us provide one book to a destitute child in the developing world. In 2015, we aim to provide 100,000 books to school children in some of the poorest countries of the world.
Added By: Olive Hackney | Date Added: 5th May 2015 | Posted In: Latest News