Media release

BOOK INDUSTRY LENDS SUPPORT FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN LITERACY CRISIS

For the past three years, members of the Australian Book Industry have actively worked towards addressing the crisis in literacy in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.

The Indigenous Literacy Day, a major new campaign supported by over 200 booksellers and publishers, authors and professional associations, aims to raise over $100,000 on Wednesday September 5 2007.

Working in partnership with The Fred Hollows Foundation and with the support of the Australian Publishers Association and the Australian Booksellers Association,

Indigenous Literacy Day aims to raise funds to buy books and literacy resources for remote Indigenous communities in Northern Territory and in north-west New South Wales.

For the past three years, Fred Hollows Foundation has worked closely with the Jawoyn communities to provide books for crèches, additional and extended resources for libraries, early readers for schools as well as reading resources for women’s centres. In some categories, these are the first books received by the communities (literacy rates in these communities have been measured as being worse than in many third world countries)

The idea for a single fundraising event grew out of the successful 2006 Australian Reader’s Challenge which involved 14,000 participants (including schools, libraries, individuals, booksellers and publishers) who read approximately 150,000 books and raised $80,000.

David Gaunt, Chair of the Indigenous Literacy Day, said: “We are overwhelmed by the generous support of the many members of the Book Industry who are donating 5% or more of their sales on September 5”.

“We would like to encourage all Australians to actively support this project by making a donation or buying a book on September 5. Booksellers and publishers have pledged a percentage of their sales for Indigenous Literacy Day.

Brian Doolan, CEO of The Fred Hollows Foundation commented: “The Fred Hollows Foundation is proud to be associated with this important initiative – aimed at improving the literacy of Indigenous people. The program helps to address a key social determinant of health – the poor level of literacy in many Indigenous communities”.

Further information and information on how to make a donation is available from:www.worldwithoutbooks.org

Further details: www.worldwithoutbooks.org