Where the money goes
The Book Bus is a charity funded entirely through voluntary donations. The fantastic generosity of our donors has helped over five thousand children improve their reading and writing skills since 2008.
In 2013/14 we are raising funds for books, classroom resources and our magnificent Book Bus fleet, you can view our targets and track our progress below. Your contribution will keep the wheels of the Book Bus turning and help many more children benefit from these valuable resources.
Books & Libraries
Most children growing up in Africa, Asia and South America do not have books in their homes. This lack of affordable reading materials is the biggest barrier to reading and child literacy. The Book Bus distributes free books so that children can discover the joy of reading and become confident readers for life.
The Book Bus reaches over 3500 children per year. Your donation will help fund our campaigns to put children's books into schools, libraries and homes.
Please note: The Book Bus does not receive book donations in the UK. If you have books to donate we recommend that you contact Read International who specialise in collecting used books and delivering them to East Africa. http://readinternational.org.uk/get-involved/give-books/
Children's Books
£100 will provide 400 books
Every year we ship books from our supporting publishers in the UK to our Book Buses overseas, in 2012 we shipped some 24,000 books – (that’s 5 tonnes!) to Zambia. £100 will cover the costs of delivering a starter pack of 400 books to one of our partner schools in Zambia, Malawi or Ecuador.
Target for 2013/14: £4,800
Happy Reader Books (Zambia and Malawi)
£450 will equip a school in Zambia or Malawi
Happy Readers books are created specifically to help teachers teach English to the younger grades. A complete set of books and a teacher pack will provide 150 children (an entire grade) with the books and materials they need to get reading.
Target for 2013/14: £4,500
School Curriculum Books
£500 will equip an entire grade
Ask any teacher in the schools we work at what their greatest classroom challenges are and they’ll put lack of books at the top of the list . . . always. The locally produced curriculum books are of a high standard but many schools just can’t afford them.
£500 will purchase curriculum books in English and Literacy for 150 children (an entire grade) and help both teachers and pupils achieve the learning outcomes they desire.
Target for 2013/14: £6,000
Reading Corners
£240 will refurbish a school classroom and install a Reading Corner
We donate books to every school we work with but some have no secure way to store and protect the books. We provide a lockable book storage unit and create Reading Corners with shelving, posters and bright decoration that transform dull classrooms and inspire the young reader’s imagination and creativity.
Target for 2013/14: £7,200
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Classroom resources
Lack of basic classroom materials puts a brake on the children’s learning progress. Pens, pencils, paper and exercise books cost the kind of money that many families in the developing world struggle to find. Your donation will buy the resources needed to create a stimulating learning environment for every child.
Every year the Book Bus organises a Teacher Support Workshop to introduce the Book Bus to our partner schools. The workshop promotes teacher participation with the Book Bus and helps them embed our weekly visit within their timetable.
Stationary supplies & creative arts materials
£50 will buy enough stationary and crafts resources to equip a classroom for a month.
Interpreting stories and playing out their themes is a great way to reinforce the reading culture. Having materials for activities such as drama, music and practical crafts brings the whole show to life and brings out the creativity in the children.
Target for 2013/14: £1,000
Reading Corners
£240 will refurbish a school classroom and install a Reading Corner
We donate books to every school we work with but some have no secure way to store and protect the books. We provide a lockable book storage unit and create Reading Corners with shelving, posters and bright decoration that transform dull classrooms and inspire the young reader’s imagination and creativity.
Our thanks go to The Funding Network for their generous donation to install 27 reading corners in 2012. Target for 2013/14: £4,800
Teacher Support Workshop
£975 will train one workshop with 24 teachers
The next workshops will be in Zambia in May 2013. These workshop are an opportunity for teachers to share best practice with their colleagues and visiting counterparts. Delegates will become familiar with the Book Bus and its resources and explore ways in how to embed the Book Bus programme within their schools.
The cost of hosting the 5-day workshop for 24 teachers is £975.
Target for 2013/14: £3,900
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Book Bus vehicles
The Book Bus fleet is what gets our volunteers and books out to the schools. These vehicles, their drivers and their volunteer crews put in heavy hours to reach remote schools and deliver our literacy support programme. We look after them well to ensure that we can maintain our service and continue to deliver into the future. Your donation will ensure that all our Book Bus vehicles are safe, well driven and well maintained.
Annual Service Costs
£1600 will cover the annual maintenance cost of one of our Book Buses
The spanner-work and oil required to keep our Book Bus wheels turning smoothly.
Target for 2013/14: £4,800
Tyres
£1200 will replace the 6 tyres on one of our Book Buses
Good quality tyres that stand up to the punishment of travelling over rough roads Each Book Bus requires a new set of tyres per year at an average cost of £1200 per vehicle.
Target for 2013/14: £3,600
Fuel
£1700 will keep the fuel tank topped up on one of our Book Buses
Children’s faces light up with joy when the Book Bus arrives at school; the annual fuel cost to reach our schools is an average of £1700 per vehicle.
Target for 2013/14: £5,100
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