Back-to-school initiative: Dubai bookstore gives away free books to needy students

Back-to-school initiative: Dubai bookstore gives away free books to needy students

As UAE students return to school soon, a Dubai-based bookstore is continuing to support parents who are struggling financially.

Book Hero, a Dubai bookstore known to run several community-led initiatives, is giving away books free of cost to parents who cannot afford to buy new ones. The store’s cofounder, Montserrat Martin said: “We are giving away around 4000 to 500 books for completely free to those who are in need and we do this every year.”

This is the third year of the initiative and Martin said that people from around the UAE have come to collect books as well as take part in the initiative by donating.

“We start the initiative every August when everyone is preparing to get back to school. From now, we will start collecting for next year’s drive,” she said.

Speaking about how Martin and the Book Hero staff spread the word, she said: “We post on social media and find those who need help online. Whenever we post, we immediately get around 12 to 15 emails asking how to get these books.”

For those looking to get the books, Martin said that the children need to be enrolled students. “It’s very simple, parents just need to show proof of