Since March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has badly affected nearly 1.5 billion learners and 63 million primary and secondary school teachers. School closures in 2020 and 2021 posed unprecedented challenges for education systems throughout the world and for many children, their learning effectively stopped.

Making up for lost time is never easy but in 2022 we are optimistic that we can introduce another 3,500 children in Zambia to our "I am a Reader" project and help them catch up with their reading and literacy skills

We are calling 2022 " The Year of Catch-Up" and The Book Bus fleet and their crews will be back on the road to distribute books, create reading corners and build libraries. They will be supporting parents and teachers to ensure that the children not only have access to books but feel inspired to read, enjoy and learn from them. Our work is helping to tackle the global literacy crisis, enabling children to gain life-changing skills so they can enjoy a brighter future and escape the cycle of poverty.

The resources we supply include some of the finest children's books from Africa and from the rest of the world. You may be familiar with books like the Gruffalo and Giraffe Can't Dance but what about Sulwe, or Handa's Surprise? With your help The Book Bus will be providing books like these, and many more, for children to enjoy in their school libraries throughout the country.

This year The Book Bus aims to distribute 10,000 donated books and many boxes of teaching resources to over 3,500 children and their teachers in Zambia. The cost of collecting and distributing these valuable resources in Zambia is £1,500. Please support this appeal and help us get another 3,500 children reading.

Find out more about the Book Bus and see how exciting books are for children in communities where libraries are rare: Book Bus video clip

We are aiming to get 10,000+ children reading by 2023 with our I am a Reader campaign. We can't do this without you.