Rahmatu is a bright and ambitious 13-year-old girl. Against all odds, Rahmatu enrolled in secondary school, something only two in five girls do in Cameroon, West Africa. As a young child she never held a book. Her primary school had just a handful of worn out textbooks and her family couldn't afford to buy any. They still can't.
But now at secondary school, she has access to a school library full of books, thanks to donations from Book Aid International. Every day she takes a book home and reads to her younger siblings, something her parents could never do for her.
Since free primary education was introduced in Cameroon in 2000, enrolment has dramatically increased. However, many schools are woefully under-resourced and can't even afford to buy books. As a result many children leave primary education still unable to read and write.
Over the last three years, Book Aid International has sent over 230,000 books to distribute to community libraries, prisons, universities, orphanages and schools across Cameroon.
What can you do to help children like Rahmatu? Spread awareness of the desperate lack of books in so many schools across Africa today and the work Book Aid International is doing to change this.
Despite the challenges she faces, Rahmatu is determined to become a lawyer. Take the pledge to share her story with one person — and help bring awareness to the struggle for access to books and the incredible students like Rahmatu fighting to overcome it.
