We are committed to fostering a love of reading and stories in Ugandan communities. Books for Uganda was founded to bring much needed diverse and inclusive literature to Uganda gifting them to families and communities. We want to be able to provide both fiction and non-fiction books from picture books, board books, children's books, young adults (YA) and even adults books.

We are looking for books by people of colour and that feature people of colour. We will firstly source as many books as possible from within Uganda supporting local Ugandan bookshops. Where this is not possible, we will enquire from booksellers further afield within the continent and consider importing as a last resource.

When I grew up in Uganda, the books I had access to were received by schools without much thought for the people who were going to read them. They were often inappropriately matched to the reading age or English level of the children, were old with outdated ideas and were physically worn. I want Ugandan communities and schools to access new books with innovative ideas that champion diversity and inclusion. Representation is incredibly important. Ugandan communities need to have books about people who look like them.

Stories started off at home in Uganda - entire communities would sit around the fire taking it in turns to tell folktales and stories. Gifting books to individual families helps include families back in to storytelling time. Additionally, with COVID-19, many Ugandan schools have been shut since March 2020 with no clear pathway to reopening. Encouraging families to share stories at home will continue promoting literacy during the ongoing pandemic.

We want books that feature and celebrate all different lived experiences, whether that's relating to race, class, gender, sexuality, health and ability. We especially want to promote books set in African countries that honour the everyday lived experiences of Black people.

If you would like to make a book recommendation or ensure your donation goes toward a certain book, please do get in touch.