Who are you trying to help? What issue are you trying to address?

Reading Hamlets is a registered non-profit organization that was founded in 2008 and registered in the state of New York in 2011 to improve literacy and promote reading among Nigerian children, with a special emphasis on girls, living in low income communities. We serve children who do not have access to quality books and provide libraries in rural schools in Nigeria.

Libraries in rural areas in Nigeria are nonexistent, children living in low income areas have no access to recreational books, education is declining at a high rate. Illiteracy is a major concern in Nigeria, one of the world’s most populous countries with an estimated population of over 180 million people. Some 40 million adults are illiterate and the overall literacy rate is close to 57%. In addition, some 10.5 million children are out of school. The need for literacy classes is hence huge. Educating parents and teachers on the importance of reading remains a challenge where the pressures of academic performance have often marginalized the importance of recreational reading among youth.

What is your project and how will it help?

We want to continue our programs by setting up libraries, donating books to new mums at hospitals, recruiting more volunteers to read to children during book clubs and mentors who will mentor girls.

How can other people partner with you on your project?

- Helping to fund a library
- Helping to fund shipment of books to Nigeria

Please detail the resources that you need.

- Funding a library costs US$2,000

- Shipping a container of books through Books For Africa and clearing the container cost approx US$17,000