The Book Project, organised by volunteers of the World Bank, has donated approximately 30,000 books to some Jamaican schools and special-needs organisations.

The books came to the island on February 23 and are being packaged for distribution. The Bustamante Children's Hospital, the 3-D project, and the Possibility Programme (from the Office of the Prime Minister) are some of the groups which will receive books.

As part of their commitment to children, Super Plus was instrumental in bearing the customs and distribution costs for this shipment.

The project is geared towards helping schoolchildren between five and 18 years old by giving them access to books in subjects like English, mathematics, history and geography.

Need for books

The idea for the project came about in 1981 when the wives of some World Bank officials from Washington visited West Africa and saw a need for books. Their volunteers have since grown and they source and transport to the port of entry of each country, approximately 120, 000 books per year. This year, they celebrate 25 years as a charity.

Mostly used books are sourced for developing countries that are members of the World Bank. When the group receives 50 requests, they place the country on their list and begin preparing a shipment. Primarily, they cater to schools that teach English, as books in French and Spanish are harder to source on a large scale. Sierra Leone, Kenya and Pakistan were some of the countries that received books last year. Other countries that will receive this year included Ethiopia, Southern Sudan and Malawi.

This is the second time Jamaica has received a shipment.