Voice of Books
Helping every child read, listen and dream with a book of their own.
Voice of Books does more than send books. We help children hold books in their own language, hear stories told in warm human voices, and find their own lives and culture in the pictures.
By connecting printed books, technology, young volunteers’ voices and the work of African artists, we create reading experiences for children who rarely have a book of their own.
Three ways we work
Books children can call their own. With Books International, we create and distribute Swahili books, one for every child.
Stories read by real voices. Our For the Next platform pairs children with books read aloud by young volunteers.
African art becomes a story. We work with Tanzanian artists to turn their original artwork into children’s picture books.
Beware of Mosquitoes!
With Books International we made a Swahili picture book, Jihadhari na Mbu! (“Beware of Mosquitoes!”). It teaches children how to prevent malaria through the story of Uma and the mosquitoes.
We handed out 500 copies at Tumbi Primary School in Tanzania, one book for every child. For many of them it was the first book they had ever owned. They kept asking, “Can I really keep this book?”
Yes. They could.
A box of freshly printed Swahili picture books
Pupils reading their new picture books together
A full classroom of children with their books at Tumbi Primary School
The For the Next website, with a cartoon fox and mouse
A picture book spread with an illustration of a rhino and butterflies