Massive storms in South London on the afternoon of Tuesday 3rd July resulted in floods and damaged book stocks at the charity, Book Aid International.
Workers at the charity were surprised by the sudden storm in which torrential rain and hailstones the size of twenty pence pieces showered from the sky. Their amazement then turned to alarm when minutes later water began leaking through the roof and onto shelves of valuable books below. A quarter of a million books are stored in the Camberwell warehouse at any one time, and all are destined to support readers and learners in poor communities in sub Saharan Africa.
Deputy Head of Operations, Beth Murphy commented that, “we were lucky to still have staff around when the storm broke. All my colleagues pitched in to salvage the books from the affected parts of the warehouse. Fortunately, very few books had to be thrown away, and several hundred were salvaged by being wiped down and moved to a dry part of the building.”
Notes to editors
Book Aid International works with partners in the developing world to support readers and learners of all ages to help them realise their potential and alleviate poverty. It works in 19 countries, 17 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa .
The launch of the 2007-2009 three year plan marks a new period for the charity, with increased emphasis on advocacy and campaigning support for partners to enable their communities to realise their right to read. Additionally, the charity continues to support primarily library services in sub-Saharan Africa through training and other capacity building activities, and provides over half a million books to partners every year.
For further information about Book Aid International, please contact Lesley Pinder on 020 7733 3577 or by email.