News / Talo
Volunteers’ mission to deliver books to Bristol children
A grassroots group on a mission to gift one book per child a week to families in Bristol is seeking support to meet demand.
Talo launched the campaign in response to growing concern about the amount of time young people in the city are spending on screens during lockdown and the impact on their health and wellbeing.
Acknowledging that many parents cannot continually buy new books, the St Paul’s-based community group launched a donation drive to ensure children in the inner city can benefit from reading and the escapism it brings during challenging times.
is needed now More than ever
Volunteers are working to distribute books to schools and community groups in the inner city, with many saying reading books are top priority for families they support.
Hibo Mahamoud, the managing director of Talo, says the families she works with have expressed concerns over the amount of screen time their children are getting, both for education and social purposes.
“The aim is to give one book per child per week for them to keep,” explains Hibo.
“We think this is especially important now because of the high levels of screen time both for education and social purposes. We also believe children will find escapism in the world of reading especially in these testing times.
“So that children and young people can find escapism into the world of reading, whilst keeping up their literacy skills, we are asking for good conditions books – both fiction and non-fiction – for primary and secondary aged students.
“We are also looking for volunteers and other organisations to work together to create a big impact.”
Talo says the support so far has been incredible, with hundreds of books collected and donated so far, and the group has launched a fundraising campaign to help keep up with demand.
Hibo adds: “For various reasons, it may not always be possible for the families to buy new books on a regular basis. Our campaign aims to tackle this by helping children to build their mini library during lockdown.
“However, the demand is far greater than what we have now and we also think that the children should be able to enjoy new books. If you’d like to help a child unlock a world of imagination, please support our campaign.”
Find out more and support the campaign via www.gofundme.com/f/feed-their-mind-book-drive?utm_campaign.
Main photo of volunteers Hana Ahmed and Amina Mahamoud – courtesy of Hibo Mahamoud
Read more: The St Paul’s group offering a vital lifeline for those in need
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