More than 150,000 books donated by the UK (including 29,000 collected in Scotland) are now on the shelves of the newly rebuilt Samir Mansour Bookshop in Gaza City, with doors set to reopen today (17 February).
29,000 books were collected from the donation hub in Glasgow which, with the help of 100+ volunteers, co-ordinated donations from across Scotland.
The epic operation of co-ordinating UK collections, processing the books and then transporting them to Gaza City was fully managed by circular economy bookseller, AwesomeBooks, who also donated 25,000 books to the appeal.
Shumyla Haseeb who managed the Scottish effort for the Books For Gaza Project said: “In Scotland we had an overwhelming, rocketing response and an amazing team of people who knuckled down through the laborious task of organising the countrywide book haul.
“It has been an exciting and memorable journey, everyone’s generosity was immeasurable and we hope to show the people of Gaza that we are always with them.”
- The Samir Mansour Bookshop was destroyed during the Gaza Conflict in May 2021
- The new bookshop – which is three times larger – opens its doors today
- Circular economy bookseller, AwesomeBooks donated 25,000 books to the appeal
- More than 150,000 UK book donations are on the shelves in an epic effort coordinated by Oxfordshire-based, AwesomeBooks
- Including 29,000 collected from the book donation hub in Glasgow which, with the help of 100+ volunteers, co-ordinated donations from across Scotland
More than 150,000 books donated by the UK are now on the shelves of the newly rebuilt Samir Mansour Bookshop, with doors set to reopen on Thursday 17 February.
The epic operation of co-ordinating collections, processing the books and then transporting them to Gaza City was fully managed by circular economy bookseller, AwesomeBooks.
Samir Mansour, Bookshop Founder, said: “I would like to thank all the people who stood by me and helped me get back on my feet. Today I am opening a better bookstore than before, thanks to their efforts.
“It was a huge shock to me when the library was destroyed, but today I feel so happy that the world stood by me and I am in a position to reopen the bookstore. It’s shown me that there’s something worth living this life for.
“I was initially afraid that the books would not arrive in time, but when the first batch arrived without any problems it gave me hope that everything would be fine.
“It was a very nice feeling when I saw the books in front of me. Today I thank everyone for their moral and material support. I salute the United Kingdom and all people around the world.“
After airstrikes destroyed the cultural hub during an 11-day conflict in May 2021, there was an outpouring of support with many offering to help the bookseller replace lost stock.
With UK businesses, charities and publishers pledging vast quantities of books, AwesomeBooks supported this unprecedented effort with an offer to organise the mammoth logistical task of the donation process.
AwesomeBooks, one of the UK’s biggest online new and used book retailers, has a unique circular business model of sustainable bookselling centred around reuse, which means that no book is ever thrown away.
The company collects books destined for landfill and repurposes high quality copies by reselling them or donating them, to improve access to books and promote literacy.
Any badly damaged books re-enter the circular economy as paper products which can be used to manufacture new books or packaging. By working more sustainably and supporting charities around the world, AwesomeBooks is committed to making an impact with every book.
Working with Mahvish Rukhsana, a human rights lawyer and one of the organisers of the appeal, over the past nine months AwesomeBooks has coordinated donation hubs set up across the UK – collecting books and bringing them back to their Wallingford warehouse to be sorted, catalogued and stored, before being shipped to Gaza City.
The final shipping containers have just arrived, and now more than 150,000 books – including 25,000 donated by AwesomeBooks – are safely on the shelves of the new bookshop in Gaza City, which is three times larger than the destroyed store and just 100m from the site of the bombed site, ready for its triumphant reopening on Thursday 17 February.
Click here to view a video of books arriving at the new Samir Mansour Bookshop
Sannah Maan, Head of Impact at AwesomeBooks said: “The destruction of Samir Mansour’s bookshop touched everyone around the world and in the UK we rallied together to show our support.
“Here at AwesomeBooks, improving literacy and access to books is central to how we operate as a business, in fact, it is the reason many of us work here. Upon hearing the news we knew we had to help.
“When I contacted the fundraising team in May 2021, it became apparent that their biggest challenge was coordinating the collection of donations, storing, organising, cataloguing and preparing the stock for shipment and delivery into Gaza.
“We are thrilled to have supported the journey of over 150,000 books from the UK. Each and every individual who took part in this effort across the UK can be proud of their actions, they have made an impact with every book sent to Gaza.”
Mahvish Rukhsana, working at 3DC in London and organiser of the Samir Mansour Bookshop appeal, said: “The success of this project is a testament to the good in humanity. In the face of incredible adversity, thousands of people — the world over — came together in support and solidarity with the people of Gaza.
“Today, we are thrilled to celebrate the reopening of this beautiful new facility. Triple the size, rebuilt with so much love.”
Shumyla Haseeb who managed the Scottish effort for the Books For Gaza Project said: “In Scotland we had an overwhelming, rocketing response and an amazing team of people who knuckled down through the laborious task of organising the countrywide book haul.
“It has been an exciting and memorable journey, everyone’s generosity was immeasurable and we hope to show the people of Gaza that we are always with them.”
CEO and co-founder of AwesomeBooks, Taskeen Ahmed said: “At Awesome Books, we are driven by our mission to make an impact with every single book. Our circular model is centred around reuse to reduce waste, lessen the environmental impact of book production and to promote literacy.
“Since our launch in 2003 we have made book donations to charities across the world and upon hearing about the loss of the Samir Mansour Bookshop, we felt compelled to help.
“With a dedicated warehouse and book collection capabilities already in place, AwesomeBooks was perfectly positioned to manage the thousands of book donations from people and businesses from all over the UK, and I’m delighted to see the bookshop is now in a position to reopen.”
AwesomeBooks is committed to making a positive impact with every book sold and has donated over 1 million books to literacy projects around the world.