Read to Rise (Southern Africa School of Project Management) - Namibia
Project Goal: $21,150
Current Progress: $1,170 (6.00%)
Donate NowRead to Rise Namibia
A Southern Africa School of Project Management Social Impact Initiative
Introducing Read to Rise Namibia Project
Every child deserves a book.
Every community deserves a library.
Every nation deserves a future built on literacy, opportunity, and hope.
The Southern Africa (SoAfr) School of Project Management is proud to launch Read to Rise Namibia, our 2025-2026 social impact project, dedicated to bringing at least 25,000 books to underserved schools and communities across Namibia.
This initiative is grounded in a simple but powerful truth: Access to books is access to possibility.
When children read, they learn.
When communities learn, they grow.
When nations grow, they rise.
Our Need in Namibia
Read to Rise was born in August 2025, when a local newspaper headline stopped us in our tracks: “Namibia’s educational crisis: 7 in 10 children cannot read or do maths.”
While Namibia has made progress in education, literacy remains deeply uneven, especially in rural and high-poverty communities. The 2023 Namibia Census highlights significant disparities in literacy rates across regions, with the greatest challenges faced by young learners and adults in underserved areas.
In too many schools, classrooms exist, but books do not. Teachers are committed, but learning resources are scarce. Students are eager to read, but libraries are empty... or nonexistent. Without books, curiosity fades. Without literacy, opportunity narrows.
Read to Rise exists to change this reality: one book, one school, one library at a time.
Our Project Goals
Read to Rise Namibia aims to:
- Improve English Language Literacy: By providing access to a wide range of books, from children’s readers to academic resources, we will strengthen English reading and comprehension skills, which are essential drivers of academic and professional success.
- Promote Lifelong Learning: Libraries serve as community hubs where individuals of all ages can access knowledge, expand horizons, and cultivate curiosity.
- Reduce Educational Inequities: Many rural and underserved communities lack reliable access to reading materials. By creating libraries and distributing books equitably, we help close this gap.
- Build Sustainable Community Assets: SoAfrSPM will collaborate with local leaders, educators, and volunteers to ensure the libraries are not just collections of books, but thriving spaces for learning, mentorship, and inspiration.
What We Are Doing
With your support, Read to Rise will:
- Import at least 25,000 high-quality books
Through Books For Africa we will distribute a variety of books including children’s readers, youth literature, textbooks, science and math resources, reference materials, and post-secondary academic books.
- Support existing school libraries
Many schools have physical spaces but few (or no) books. We will help revitalize these learning hubs. - Create new libraries in underserved regions
From Khomas to Omaheke to Karas Regions and beyond, we are partnering with communities ready to build sustainable reading spaces. - Empower teachers and local leaders
By strengthening reading programs, book clubs, literacy competitions, and community learning initiatives. - Ensure long-term impact
These books are investments in generations of learners.
Our Fundraising Goal
USD 21,150
This amount will cover shipping and handling costs from the USA to Namibia. It will ensure that books move from warehouses to classrooms and into the hands of Namibia’s future.
Our Strategy
Read to Rise prioritizes urban communities with high poverty rates and rural regions where literacy levels fall below the national average. This targeted approach allows the project to reach beneficiaries across most of Namibia’s 14 regions while ensuring that resources are directed where they can have the greatest and most lasting impact. Each partner school is carefully assessed to confirm its ability to receive, manage, and sustain the books over time, which ensures responsible stewardship and long-term use.
To promote equity and meaningful access, we guarantee at least one book per student for every participating school/organization. This approach helps to ensure that the benefits of the project are felt at the individual learner level, not just institutionally.
Our Motivation
As a tertiary institution, the Southern Africa (SoAfr) School of Project Management understands that the path to higher education begins long before a student enters a university classroom. Tertiary education is often rooted in a primary school where a child first discovers the power and joy of reading. Literacy strengthens educational outcomes, expands opportunity, and transforms lives by equipping learners with the skills they need to succeed academically and beyond. Read to Rise reflects our deep and enduring commitment to creating positive, lasting social impact in Namibia by investing early, where learning foundations are formed, and futures begin to take shape.
Contact
Thomas K. Thomas, Social Impact Coordinator