Business professor James Owens, founder of the non-profit organization The World is Just a Book Away, is changing lives. Deciding to share his love of reading with those who are less fortunate, he is helping to build libraries and to encourage reading in Indonesia.
Since 2009, The World is just a Book Away has built dozens of libraries in Indonesia in Padang, Sidoarjo and Bali. As Owens explained his inspiration,
“They go to school, they learn and they are very smart. They do not have access to books, history and fables and stories and science, that can really spark their imagination and let them dream.”
Fundraising efforts include many approaches for the organization. Executive Director Robert Lucas helps to connect donors with the various projects that the charity finances. Some of the libraries have even been named for their donors, including Cher, Liam Neeson, Jane Goodall and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Owens, a professor at the University of Southern California, has created a five-kilometer charity run to raise money for the cause.
Each library costs between $5000 and $10,000, and one charity event can pave the way for a new library.
Headmaster at one school in Padang, Amril Lasmana, explains how important the library can be to students in Padang. Lasmana said, “The enthusiasm, interest, and motivation of our students in learning increased. The library building has been renewed. And now, it is in good and clean condition, so it motivates our students to study.”
So far, The World is Just a Book Away has built a total of 49 libraries for children in Indonesia and 26 for their parents.