As UAE students return to school, a Dubai-based book initiative ‘Book Hero’ is giving away four academic books per student, absolutely free of cost.
This is an event that Book Hero runs at the start of every academic year, since 2017. Not only is it aimed to be an economical option for parents, it’s also a sustainable one that extends the lifespan of books.
The store’s cofounder, Montserrat Martin told Gulf News: “We are giving away around 4,000 to 5,000 books for completely free to those who are in need and we do this every year. We start the initiative every August when everyone is preparing to get back to school.”
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This is an event that Book Hero runs at the start of every academic year, since 2017. Not only is it aimed to be an economical option for parents, it’s also a sustainable one that extends the lifespan of books.
The store’s cofounder, Montserrat Martin told Gulf News: “We are giving away around 4,000 to 5,000 books for completely free to those who are in need and we do this every year. We start the initiative every August when everyone is preparing to get back to school.”
Read the full story here:
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello, my name is Montserrat Martin. I am one of the founders of Book Hero, along with
00:08Mohamed Alkoubeissi. So we have been doing educational book initiatives since 2016, where
00:17we started here in Oasis Mall, and we have managed to give thousands of books in the
00:23last eight years. And again, we're starting with the concept and the initiative once more
00:30until the 9th of September. I feel the offer is very easy. The parents just need to show
00:35an enrollment form of this current academic year, and that will entitle them up to four
00:42books per child. It doesn't matter if they are from any of the Emirates, or even from
00:48overseas. If the kids are studying and they can benefit from the free books, we will provide
00:55them to anyone willing to use them. The idea behind having academic books given for free
01:02is to make the life of the book longer, as well as avoid people from buying additional
01:09books that can have a small, very small impact on making a greener. So the idea is that parents
01:16can be conscious about books, you know. Many of these books, they have never been used.
01:23They are in excellent condition, so it's nice to have concepts in the UAE that they are sustainable
01:32and they are looked at from a different point of view. The idea is that will students benefit?
01:40Yes. Will parents benefit? Yes. Will we benefit? Of course, yes, because we are here for books.
01:48So if we can make the life of that book longer. I'm someone who's lived in London. I have always
01:54got my kids books a year before, like in summer vacation. If they're going in year five,
02:00I would get their books from WXMED, and it would cost me a lot of money, and I have three children.
02:05Something like this is like so valuable, much more than money, you know. But this is knowledge,
02:11and you need to give that to encourage the kids, especially people who cannot afford buying books.
02:16You know, it's such a great thing for children to, you know, bring their attention to this,
02:22get them to study well. So really good initiative. We are doing all sorts of books from school,
02:30college, and universities. Whatever is available, people can come and search through, and whatever
02:37they require, they can take. I think this is so good, like, for the environment of what you guys
02:43are doing very well. I think that these books will really help, since a lot of people can't, like, afford
02:51books for school, but they can only afford education. People ask us,
02:55from where do we get these books? So simply, all year round, we are collecting books from families
03:01or people who doesn't really need their books anymore, and they don't want to throw them.
03:06So they give it to us, and then we store them, and every August, we give them back again to the
03:12community. Also, since 2016, we have a book exchange, academic book exchange, for free
03:22on the basement. So let's say, for example, you have 10 books you no longer need. You bring it to
03:29us, and you can select another 10 books for 10 books, academic books, and you get them for free
03:35from us. So the whole year is running, but completely free of charge. It will be due back to
03:43school in August. I think this is a good initiative. As parents, we spend a lot of money buying books
03:48for our kids, and they get to an age where they can use it. If you don't have relatives or friends
03:54who can borrow it, it's just a high cost of getting books. So this is really good that I can
04:01actually borrow a book or get a book for free for my children, and I can also pass it on to someone
04:06else who's done. It saves cost, and I think it's a great initiative. I think this initiative is
04:14important for kids, and for instance, because it can help students with their learning for exams
04:19and all, and prepare you for challenges that can come in the next few years for your school year.
04:24And for parents, it would be better because then they won't have to pay for more books,
04:30and they can save money and also teach their kids at the same time. If these books aren't put to use
04:36properly, like here, they'll just go to waste after. Once your child grows up, they won't use
04:40these books anymore, but here they're being recycled. Other students will have the chance
04:43to learn from these books and gain knowledge which they wouldn't have gained before.
04:47These books will help us learn a lot more.