Field journal
First journal to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
GiveReads was formed to confront a practical problem: in many classrooms, children are asked to learn to read without enough books. A field journey to the Democratic Republic of the Congo made that problem concrete. It is one thing to speak of “education gaps” from Webster, New York. It is another to stand in a room where a teacher is doing the work of three people and the shelf is almost empty.
The Congo journal is not a claim that GiveReads runs the country’s schools. It is a record of why international literacy belongs in our charitable purpose. Books in local languages, books children can take home, books that survive humidity and hard use—those details matter more than a slogan.
What we carried home was a working rule: do not confuse a visit with a victory. The organization exists to keep moving books after the journal is written—through collection, logistics, and placement with children who will actually open them.