A local charity, Tools with a Mission (TWAM) runs a School Book Project in Ipswich which collects redundant text books, reading books, reference and information books. Books can be donated either by local schools or by individuals.

A team of volunteers checks that the donated books are up to date, clean and relevant, then allocates them to schools in East and Southern Africa where the curriculum still follows a mainly English model. For the foreseeable future these schools will not have sufficient funds to buy enough locally produced books. Therefore second hand books from the UK help to fill the gap and make it possible for children to get into the reading habit.

What sort of books are needed???

• Books for all ages from pre-school to A-level.
• Books should be clean and strong, no graffiti
• Books should be relatively modern, up to 15 years old.
• Sets of text books. Please include Answer books!
• Sets of readers, story books, novels for teenagers, picture books for pre-school.
• Information/resource books on all the usual topics.
• Dictionaries & other reference books.

Getting the books to Ipswich.
TWAM can arrange collection from schools supplying big quantities of books. Please phone Cindy on 01473 210220.

For smaller quantities of books please phone Carol on 01206 263670 for advice about local drop-off point.

THANK YOU FOR KEEPING THIS PROJECT GOING

On May 21st a small group organized by the Green Teams visited Tools with a Mission near Ipswich. Tools with a Mission is a Christian charity which sends refurbished tools to vocational training schemes mainly in countries in Africa. When people complete these training schemes, they are given their own tool kits. So old tools which are no longer wanted here enable people to make a living in Africa. As well as tools, TWAM also send out school books – a project started by Carol Lindsay Smith, now merged with TWAM – and sewing and knitting machines and materials. They have a large warehouse where the tools are collected, cleaned, refurbished and made up into kits. It is an impressive place, run by volunteers, and to see the pallets of sewing machines, racks of tools, and piles of yarn and cloth stacked up ready to be shipped out gives an idea of the scale of their work. Last year, they sent out 21 containers of tools. (more…)