A child's journey begins with one book.

Join us this Giving Tuesday to unlock 50,000 new readers by December 31st. Your gift gives a child the power of mother-tongue literacy.

A child's journey begins with one book.

Imagine a small hand reaching for a book, only to find words they can't understand.

For millions of children, the simple, beautiful joy of reading is still out of reach. A child cannot learn when they cannot understand the language of the book. When kids can't read in their mother tongue, they struggle in school, feel disconnected from their culture, and often fall behind.

Here's what we know: literacy is a pathway out of poverty. But that pathway is blocked when the books themselves become barriers.

Mother Tongue Reading Changes Everything

When children have access to books in their own language, something beautiful happens. They don't just learn to read; they discover they can learn anything. Research indicates that children who read in their native language are 30% more likely to develop strong reading skills and remain engaged in school.

Since 2013, NABU has reached 3.8 million children with over 1,200 original titles across 39 languages. But there are still millions of children waiting for books they can understand.

"I used to be afraid of answering questions in class, but since reading on NABU I have become more confident. I can now understand Kinyarwanda much better, and can share my ideas!" — Belize, Musanze, Rwanda.

Read more success stories from our community.

How We Make This Happen

NABU drives literacy by scaling culturally authentic content and eliminating access barriers. Our Authentic Book Creation Lab employs over 250 local writers and illustrators to publish more than 1,200 original titles across 39 languages, ensuring stories reflect children’s lives.

To make reading a daily habit, our **Bridge to Literacy program has trained over 4,400 Teachers, who work directly with families. We ensure universal access with the NABU reading app, which is designed for low-bandwidth and offline environments. Once downloaded, books remain available anywhere, anytime, even in remote communities.

This integrated approach has demonstrated tremendous success, reaching a monumental 3.8 million children and achieving an 82.68% comprehension rate across the population served.

What Your Gift Does

• $10 – Provide a child and caregiver access to NABU Provides 160 levelled, mother-tongue storybooks to 6 children. supporting early reading skills at home or school.
  
• $45 – Help 30 children discover a story.

Helps 30 children access to NABU books each through a mix of digital and print distribution, so they can read, learn, and laugh in the language they understand best.

• $150 – Support a classroom with mother-tongue books.

Provides a primary classroom with a curated set of printed storybooks + digital access, helping teachers lead reading circles and activities throughout the year.

• $500 – Help unlock a new language.

Supports the translation and adaptation of a mother-tongue storybook, covering contributor fees and production, so children can see themselves and their languages represented.

• $1,500 – Create a new book.

Helps fund the creation of a new, locally developed children’s storybook, supporting writers, illustrators, translators, and editors as NABU expands into new languages and collections.

Give the irreplaceable gift of reading

Join Us This Giving Tuesday

We have until December 31st to unlock 50,000 new readers. Every child deserves to understand the words on the page. Every child deserves a pathway out of poverty through literacy.

Your donation, any amount, gives a child the gift of reading as we head into the new year.

Donate now

More ways to get involved:

Download the free app and share it

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Every child counts. Join us.