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Total books shipped to date
1,147,241 Books
 
Where We Work
Where We Work
 
 

Meet the team

We have a network of over 500 student volunteers across the UK without which our work would not be possible. We do however have a small central team of full time staff based in Camberwelll, London.

Meet the trustees: We have a board of 10 trustees

Meet the Patrons: We have three Patrons. Please read more about Tom Levitt (former Labour MP), Greg Clarke (Conservative MP), and Stephen Lloyd (Liberal Democrat MP).

Meet the READ Ambassadors. 

Meet the staff team:

Hannah Mitchell - Director

Hannah Mitchell joined READ International as the new Director in February 2011. Taking over from the founding Director, Robert Wilson, Hannah is focused on expanding READ International’s programmes. READ will continue with bold ambitions to work with more volunteers, more schools, and more regions across East Africa. 2011 is an exciting year for READ International: in August we will distribute our millionth book to East Africa; and in October we will launch our new strategic plan for 2011 – 2014.
Hannah’s venture into the world of volunteering began as a Youth for Development volunteer with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) in 2004. As a recent graduate, Hannah spent two years working in Guyana, leading the first national research programme to feed into the development of national legislation to protect the rights of disabled people.
 
It was to be a formative experience building strong foundations for her career in youth action and volunteering. Since 2006 Hannah has worked with The Children’s Society, Voluntary Services Overseas, and v The National Young Volunteers Service leading regional and national programmes to young people to become involved with volunteering and campaigning.

‘It is real a privilege to be leading READ International. It is an organisation that’s foundations have been built upon on passion, enthusiasm, determination and innovation. It inspires everyone it connects with! I look forward to continuing to build READ’s volunteering programme to deliver a highly effective development initiative, which is grounded by principles of empowerment, partnership, and commitment to learning.’           

Robert Wilson - Founder

Rob took a gap year after leaving school in 2002, before reading Politics at the University of Nottingham. Whilst at university he founded READ International. He graduated from university in 2006, took READ International on as a full time commitment and oversaw its expansion beyond Nottingham.  We now have ten staff working from offices in London and East Africa; there are close to 1,000 student volunteers involved, working from over 50 UK university sites. Rob is also the co-founder of NoPC (www.nopc.org.uk), an IT solutions social enterprise to provide affordable, low power, low maintenance, and sustainable computing technology to schools across the developing world. Rob has won Unltd Awards, he was winner of the Social Enterprise Day 2006 award, winner of Enterprising Young Brits 2010 and winner of the Beacon Fellowship 2010 for Young Philanthropist of the Year. Rob is now pursuing his next venture www.ontheup.org.uk.

My favourite book: My favourite book in the whole world is my massive Atlas of the world. I am a huge geography geek - I could pick this up and flick through the pages again and again and never ever get tired of it. My Dad used to let me use his Atlas from the early 20th Century when I was a kid (which was originally his Dad’s and will one day be mine).  Then I won this Atlas as a school leavers prize just before heading off on my Gap Year.  It was my thirst for adventure that led to the creation of READ and my desire to delve deep into international development.  I’m lucky enough to have now travelled to every continent except the Antarctic and every time I’m off on my travels I turn to this trusty Atlas – I love it. 

 

Rose Blackie - Head of UK Operations

Rose studied Zoology at Nottingham University where she joined Tanzania Book Project (as it was then) as a volunteer in 2005, and in 2006 became a Project Leader for the Nottingham Book Project after travelling to Tanzania with READ. She graduated in 2007 and began work for READ full time, developing our operations and expansion across the UK. Rose is now responsible for all Book Project RPCs, the overall management of the Book Projects including strategy and development, volunteer recruitment and the logistics of shipping the books to East Africa.     
 
 My favourite book: Although its not the easiest book I ever read, this book never fails to re-inspire my love for biology and the world around us. All it does is make me want to learn more about everything – exactly what I believe reading can do. 
 

Rachel Newson - Operations Manager

Rachel graduated in Geophysical Sciences from the University of East Anglia in 2009. During her final year at university she became involved with READ as the PR and Communications project leader for READ Book Project Norwich and set up the campus book drive there. After graduating she travelled to Tanzania with READ after which she started work for READ full time.
 
My favourite book: Ishmael Beah was a child solider in Sierra Leone and this is his story. It's a gripping but harrowing tale, which I devoured in one sitting at Lima airport during a 30+ layover! The girl who recommended it to me then went on to organise Ishmael to come and talk at our university about his experiences and this book and it was fascinating. The whole experience is what makes this book special to me. 
 
 
 
 

Emma Piper - Youth Engagement Project Manager

Emma studied Law and Sociology at Warwick University and became a project leader of the first Warwick Book Project in 2006.  Emma came up with the idea for our Think Global workshops whilst in her third year of university and, with the support of READ, has been developing them ever since.  She became a full time member of staff after graduating in 2009.

 My favourite book: Emergency Sex (and other desperate measures); true stories from a war zone, by Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait and Andrew Thomson details the lives of three UN aid workers; from their civilian beginnings and their first meeting in Cambodia, charting their journeys through some of the most volatile regions of the world in the 90s including Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia and Liberia and finally their return to a “normal” existence.  For me this is what life is all about; experiencing as much as possible, attempting to leave some positive imprint on the world and having incredible adventures.  Every time I pick up this book it makes me want to jump on the next plane to somewhere important.  This example embodies the things I love most about books; their power to inspire, empower and impart knowledge. 

Louise Phillips - Fundraising, Marketing and Communications Manager

Louise studied Biodiversity Conservation and Management at the University of Kent and set up READ Book Project Kent during her final year as PR and Communications Project Leader. She visited the Kigoma region of Tanzania with the Kent team upon graduating in summer 2009 and continued to volunteer with READ as an alumni during 2009/2010. She took part in a two month Vodafone World of Difference fundraising placement with READ in 2009. She returned to Tanzania as a Volunteer Coordinator Intern in Summer 2010 before joining READ full time in September 2010.        

My favourite book: I love books with spirit which aim to educate in a fun way, like Benjamin Zephaniah's 'Wicked World'. It is a collection of poems about people all over the world and how they are all equal and amazing in different ways. They demand to be rapped and sung. I think that books are a powerful tool for inspiring change in our world.

Joe Lawson - Head of East Africa Operations

Joe studied at the University of Warwick, where he studied Modern History and Politics. After visiting East Africa in his ‘gap’ year, Joe got involved with READ in his second year at university and went on to become Resource Collection Project Leader in his third and final year. He worked with READ in Tanzania in 2008 and 2009, and joined READ International as a Project Coordinator in September 2009. Joe moved out to the East Africa Office in July 2010 where he is now Head of East Africa Operations. 
 
My favourite book: Though it might seem a bit odd, I really like novels set in a dystopian future- like ‘Brave New World’ or ‘1984’. Of this genre, my favourite has to be ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury. This imagines a world where all books are declared illegal and regularly burnt by a regiment of state “firemen”, leading to a group of rebels fighting back against this oppressive system. These rebels see the value of reading, books and the information one can gain from them, and work to encourage others to join their group. Similar to the work of READ International...although we’re not that rebellious!