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Donate School Supplies

statistics on kids do not have school supplies in Africa

The Need

2 out of 3 school children in West Africa do not have the needed supplies to support their learning. (Develop Africa informal survey of 5 West African countries).   

Thousands of students in sub-Saharan Africa don't have access to school supplies and textbooks.

Providing one textbook to every student in a classroom increases literacy scores by 5-20 percent (Michaelowa and Wechsler (2006)

Without the necessary school supplies, bright young minds lack the quality of education that they need to thrive academically. Too many young people with high potential turn to destructive rather than constructive paths for themselves and their community.   

 

Our Solution

When struggling schools work hard with little available, we step in to help. By offering essential educational tools to schools, we improve access to quality education for the future leaders of African communities.

You can help - donate school supplies today for children in Africa.

Develop Africa started with the simple premise that creating a conduit to source school supplies and distribute them directly to African schools in the greatest need would substantially impact student learning.

Since 2006, we have received supplies from donors from the US, Australia, the UK, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Oceania, Asia, Central and South America etc. These supplies have been distributed directly or through partner organizations to tens of thousands of children in Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania). 

 


How can you help

1. Donate

  • New supplies: If you have unused supplies at home, school, or work, please send them to us directly.  
     
  • Used supplies: We welcome gently used supplies of all types. Recycling previously owned school supplies and office items is a great way to help others while being kind to our environment.
     
  • Branded Items: We also accept these donations if you have used or unused branded items. 
     
    The core of this effort remains to provide school supplies, but to ship these materials to our schools in Africa, we incur high shipping costs, coming to as much as $50 per box.
     
  • Monetary support/funds:

Please fill out the Drive registration form first. This helps us know when to expect your supplies.

Shipping Address / School Supplies Drop Off Location: 
Develop Africa
1906 Knob Creek Road, Suite 3
Johnson City, TN 37604, USA
Phone: 423-282-0006

 


2. Collect

Are you interested in holding a school supply drive?

How to run a school supplies drive

 


young man reading a book provided through donations  

What do our schools need?

As you might imagine, our beneficiary schools would greatly appreciate any assistance, but we have listed the most requested items below to help provide guidance. (List of School Supplies (PDF

  • Most Needed Item: Backpack and other bookbags 

  • Most Needed Item: Notebooks

  • Solar lights for use by children when studying.  

  • Rulers (English or metric measurements) 

  • Pens, Pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners 

  • Pencil boxes/cases

  • Chalk 

  • Colored pencils, crayons, and markers

  • Calculators

  • Filler paper/ loose leaf

  • Netbooks / Laptops / Kindles / iPads / eReaders  

  • Graph paper

  • Pocket dictionaries

  • Reusable water bottles

  • Reams or boxes of paper

  • Miscellaneous arts and crafts items

  • Science equipment

  • Drawstring bags

  • Umbrellas & raincoats

  • Donations for Uniforms and shoes. $50 provides two uniforms and a pair of shoes for a child. 

  • Children's books 

  • Donate Conference Bags / Event Bags / Organization or Company Bags or Backpacks - Do you have conference or event bags you would like to donate to a great cause? Or do you have "branded" bags (bags with your organization's brand name) that you would like to donate? This could be because of a printing error or a company branding/logo change. We warmly accept branded bags that will be distributed free to African kids. Kids will use these bags to take books and school supplies. We also carry other branded items such as pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.

  • Donate Uniforms, clothes, and shoes-  Is your school or business changing logos or uniforms?   Do you have a collection of fabulous, gently used clothes or shoes? We will gladly take new or like new clothes. 

  • Computer mice and mousepads: Got a computer mouse you don't need?  We gladly accept new mice and mouse pads.

Important: Shipping Breakable Items (Glass, Light Bulbs, etc.)

  • As you may realize, boxes can sometimes be tossed or dropped during shipment. Consequently, breakable items like glass bulbs can break/shatter in transit. This creates a potential risk and wound hazard for us as we receive your supplies.

    If you decide to ship any breakable items, please ensure that you do the following:

  • The articles should be carefully wrapped in bubble wrap to prevent breakage.
     
  • The box should be marked outside with the words Fragile / Breakable. You can write this on the box with a marker or a pen. 

 


 


Send us supplies from Shortage:

We're excited to announce our partnership with Shortage. This in-kind donation marketplace allows you to donate school supplies and other needed items to students and families in Sierra Leone. More details on our Shortage partner page

 


donate supplies walmart nonprofit africa

Send us supplies with ease from Walmart:

We have made it very easy for you to send us school supplies. You can do this easily in a few clicks using your Walmart account. The following link takes you to our "wish list" linked to our mailing address. Walmart will automatically provide our shipping address in the list of available addresses - when you are checking out. Add the items to your cart, checkout, and the supplies will be mailed to us directly. One less thing for you to do. Go there now...Send school supplies from Walmart to Develop Africa

Walmart.com and Walmart app customers can round up their purchase total to the nearest dollar at checkout and donate their change to Develop Africa. Every penny counts! Sign up today to make Develop Africa your preferred charity.

Please remember to include a gift note when purchasing, or email us at hello@DevelopAfrica.org and let us know you're sending us supplies from our wish list so that we can thank you for your support.

 


Are you interested in doing more than just running a school supplies drive? Then start Become a Hero - Start a School Group or Organization Partnership. This allows you to work closer with Develop Africa with more formal recognition. It is a great way to join and work with Develop Africa. Learn more and get started ...

 


children in Africa with donated backpacks

   

Shipping/mailing address for all boxes/merchandise / donated school supplies

  • Please fill out the Drive registration form first. This helps us know when to expect your supplies.
     
  • Please include a list of all items with a total approximate value (when possible). This information helps us speedily document/sort through supply donations.  
     
  • Please include your name, email, and address inside your school supply donation so we can quickly identify and thank our donors. Please specify if you would like a tax receipt.    Optional- Send tracking information if applicable.  
     
  • Are you shipping outside of the US/Canada? Go to Shipping from the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, etc. for more information.
  • We need your help: We warmly welcome your financial donation to cover the cost of shipping your donated item(s) to Africa. This helps us place the item(s) into the kids' hands. We would be very grateful if you could donate at least $50 or more per box to cover the cost of shipping your supplies to Africa.  Donating towards shipping supplies is the best way that you can help. For sending all the books and supplies, we receive fees of thousands of dollars yearly in shipping costs. Donations towards shipping can be sent by check, money order, or online donation. 

 

 


Check out photo albums from some of our recent school supply distributions.

Success Tall Academy, Freetown, Sierra Leone

Distribution to 5 Schools in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Distribution to 6 Schools in Cameroon

Golden Eagles Christian Academy - Liberia

St Timothy's School, Moshi Tanzania

Distribution to Schools in Cameroon (In Partnership With Spirit of America and The US Army)

 

Raise money through an online fundraiser.

You can find tips and ideas on ways to raise funds for shipping here.

 


 

FAQs
 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

 

Will I receive acknowledgment of my supplies donation?

Yes! We are so grateful for all the supplies we receive and sincerely appreciate the time involved in organizing and holding supplies drives or fundraisers for Develop Africa. We are happy to mail you a certificate expressing our appreciation after receiving donations. We are delighted to send you a certificate expressing our gratitude after receiving the contributions. If you want specific names on the certificate, please include a letter with your donation that lists the individual or group/organization name.
 

Can I choose the schools that should receive the supplies that I collect?

Unfortunately not. When donated items are mailed to our Tennessee office, they are repacked into larger containers (typically drums) before shipment to Africa. This means your donated items will need to be removed from their original packaging/box and combined with donations from others to ship these items most cost-effectively. In this scenario, it is practically impossible to keep track of specific items from specific donors and to photograph them at the time of arrival in that same manner.

When donated items are mailed to our shipper in New Jersey, they are sent "as is "in their original packaging. In this scenario, it is easier for us to keep track of specific items from specific donors and to photograph them at the time of arrival in that same manner. However, this option ends up being more costly for Develop Africa. Donors who prefer this option may be asked to provide total funds coverage for those shipments. We are quoted as our shipper receiving the specific cost after the box(es). This is usually an average of $50 per box. Please contact us for more information if you wish to pursue this option.

How do I donate school/office supplies from Europe / UK?

Please go to  https://www.developafrica.org/shipping-items-develop-africa-europe-asia-and-australia for more information.

 

Should I send you photos of the school supplies I plan to send?

Yes - we would love to receive photos of the supplies. We would love to receive pictures and videos of you and the store drive participants with your collected supplies.   You can submit photos or videos through our contact form or email us at hello@developafrica.org

Do you accept teaching supplies/aids?

Yes, we welcome your donations of teaching aids and supplies.

 

What kind of books do you accept?

We accept general reading books for children – novels, storybooks, etc. Because the book needs in Africa vary, we do not get random or single textbooks. We will consider readers donated in a group/quantity – for instance, 20+ of the same type.

I want to donate school supplies. Are financial or monetary donations required?

As you realize, Shipping is expensive. Monetary donations for school supplies are not required but welcome as they help us cover the shipping costs. Since books are so much heavier, we kindly request that you enable us to donate $50 for Shipping to Africa. You can donate online or send us a check/money order. We cannot do what we do without support from people like you. Every bit helps!
 
Please note that a monetary donation is required for books.

Are company-branded, corporate promotional items accepted – pens, shirts, notebooks, mouse pads, and bags with a company logo?

Yes, you can donate these items, and they are welcome. We welcome conference or meeting bags, complimentary branded pens or pencils, and pens or pencils with typos. Did your company change its name or phone number recently, and are you no longer giving out items with old information? Then send them to us, and we will put them to good use. Please do not send branded letterheads/envelopes - as these would be useless.

 

Will I receive a receipt for tax purposes?

Yes - we will happily provide you with a tax receipt for donating items to Develop Africa. Please note that the value of the donated items is up to you. You can optionally provide a purchase receipt (if available). Be sure to ask for one, and we will send this to you.

 

I want to ship the supplies directly to a school. Can you provide a school address?

Shipping works differently in many countries. In some countries, a tax is levied/charged for even donated items (or there is a lengthy process to obtain tax exemption). Also, the school will often have to clear things from a port. They would not be delivered to the school. Imagine a case where the school is 150 miles away from the dock. The school will have to send someone to clear the items and cover the cost of shipping the items internally (within the country) to the school. 

With this in mind, we prefer to follow through with shipments to ensure delivery at the school. We certainly do not want donated items abandoned at the port or discarded because of some levied fee/cost when they are only 100 miles away from the school.

We typically use a clearing and forwarding shipping agency. These agencies are responsible for delivery to the schools and have done so reliably.  

We will be happy to provide a shipping address to a school if you would like to explore this further.

 

What does it cost to ship books or school supplies to Africa?  

The critical issue in getting books and supplies to Africa is covering shipping and delivery costs. This figure, of course, varies from country to country. We've found that repacking supplies into barrels is the most cost-effective way to ship these items to Africa. Depending on the destination country, each barrel's shipping and delivery costs vary from $220 to $450.

Book donations:   We receive several offers of books yearly and, unfortunately, cannot accept any book donations that do not include a donation to cover shipping costs. Please help raise funds to pay for shipping them to Africa. We can provide a tax receipt as necessary. This amount could be paid directly to our shipping agencies or online - our website / PayPal, UK donation page, Google Wallet, etc. 

School supplies donations: We also receive several offers of school supplies monthly. These supplies are in high demand in Africa and are much appreciated. Your gift to cover the cost of shipping these supplies is very welcome.

 

Do you accept all kinds of books - apart from children's books?

We currently only accept children's books. We are considering accepting other types of books in the future. 

 

Can I specify the country to which the books will be sent?

Unfortunately, not yet. It takes time and extra resources to investigate and follow up with Shipping, local schools, etc. If a donor wants to specify a country, we can't support it at our stage. 

 

How often do you ship school supplies? How do you ship them out?

We typically accumulate the books and school supplies for an average of 3-6 months (depending on the volume we receive) before we ship them out. We ship them in drums/barrels as seen in this photo album. We send out tens of drums each year.

We generally send them to a shipper/consolidator who forwards/delivers to the destination country.

 

What are the dimensions of a medium-sized box?

We accept school supplies in boxes of any size.  

 

Do you accept used school supplies?

We accept used school supplies, but we ask that you send gently used stores. Something you would not mind receiving as a gift.

 

What countries do the supplies go to?

We have sent books and supplies to the following countries - Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. 

Our efforts are currently focused on Sierra Leone.

Below is a list of some of the schools and organizations where our books campaign, teaching, school supplies, distribution, and scholarship have made an impact.

  1. Eva Houston Primary School - Kissy, Sierra Leone
  2. Modern Elementary School – Tengbeh Town, Sierra Leone
  3. Tower Hill Kindergarten and Primary School – Freetown, Sierra Leone
  4. Murray Town Army Municipal School - Freetown, Sierra Leone
  5. Saint Joseph's Primary School - Freetown, Sierra Leone
  6. Forum for Africa Women Educationalists (FAWE Primary School for Girls - Freetown, Sierra Leone
  7. UMC Primary School at George Brook / Dwazark - Freetown, Sierra Leone
  8. Christians in Action Church Education Department - Freetown, Sierra Leone
  9. Saint Joseph's Primary School - Freetown, Sierra Leone
  10.  The Door of Hope - Wellington, Sierra Leone
  11.  National Pentecostal Secondary School - Freetown, Sierra Leone
  12.  Cilira Nursery and Preparatory School - Juba, Sierra Leone
  13.  United Brethren in Christ Primary School - Lumley, Sierra Leone
  14.  United Brethren in Christ Primary School – Wellington, Sierra Leone
  15.  Murray Town Municipal School - Murray Town, Sierra Leone
  16.  St. Timothy's School - Moshi, Tanzania
  17.  Royal Foundations Early Breed Nursery / Elementary  School - Monrovia, Liberia
  18.  Bitame Lucia Nursery and Primary School in Nkolfoulou, Cameroon
  19. Edmond Mosh Davies Memorial Primary School, Sierra Leone
  20. Thompson Bay Elementary School, Sierra Leone
  21. Pilgrims of God Church School, Sierra Leone
  22. Vickray's Community Primary School, Sierra Leone
  23. United Brethren Academy School
  24. Roman Catholic Primary School, Kamawornie Village, Sella Limba Chiefdom, Bombali District
  25. Sembeh Pieh Primary School, Hamilton Village, Sierra Leone
  26. Hamilton Preschool, Hamilton Village, Sierra Leone
  27. Rural Education Community School, Bathurst Village, Sierra Leone
  28. Bathurst Preschool, Bathurst Village, Sierra Leone
  29. YUTRISH Pre and Primary Community School, Rokel Village, Sierra Leone
  30. Emmet Primary School, Lumley, Sierra Leone
  31. Henry B Bennah Kingsville Public School, Liberia
  32. FAWE Girls School, Sierra Leone
  33. R.E.C. Primary School, Sierra Leone
  34. Lumley School, Sierra Leone
  35. Bethel Cathedral of Praise Primary School, Sierra Leone
  36. El Bethel Primary School, Sierra Leone
  37. Community Catholic Primary School, Cameroon
  38. Success Tall Academy, Hill Station, Sierra Leone
  39. Jonathan's Foundation, Lungi
  40. Dantrimark Academy, Sierra Leone
  41. Kamawornie Primary School, Sierra Leone
  42. Kamawornie Secondary School, Sierra Leone
  43. New Pilgrim Primary School, Sierra Leone
  44. Pentecostal Primary School, Lumley
  45. Kids of the Mafullah Village
  46. Cornerstone Ministry
  47. UBC Dwarzark
     

 

Top reasons why people collect school supplies and send them to Develop Africa

1. We're a service sorority/fraternity organization or other service-based group involved in or required to complete a general community service project, philanthropy project, passion project, peer leadership project, global leadership project, graduation project, end-of-the-year project, personal interest project, exhibition project, international project, research project, American dream project, award project, senior project or kindness activity and are deeply committed to contributing to society through national outreach and global service.

2. We're celebrating a Birthday, wedding anniversary, holiday (special occasion), Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, etc. And we are motivated to make a difference for low-income families in Africa. So, we want to collect supplies, host a drive, or hold a fundraiser to help African children in need.

3.    We are learning about the world, global issues, education in Africa, African culture, or learning about countries in Africa as part of a class at school/church/camp/group, etc. And we want to make a difference in the world by promoting education across the globe for underprivileged or less fortunate students.

4.    We are engaged in a Girl Scouts Activity or Silver Award, Honor Society activity, Boy Scout Activity,   etc., and we want to use our service hours to help create a better world and better, brighter future for those facing challenges getting an education by supporting a good and worthwhile cause.

5. I'm a recent graduate, or it's the end of a school year. We are cleaning out our bags/school containers and have leftover learning supplies we want to donate to a meaningful cause.

6. We're cleaning or clearing our house, downsizing, or moving, and we have excess items we no longer need that we want to put to good use.

7. We're decluttering or reducing possessions. We want to reduce waste in an environmentally friendly way by donating excess items to developing countries deprived of equal education and a greater need for them.

8.    We heard that supplies are needed in schools in Africa. And we want to promote educational development by hosting a school supplies drive to support education in Africa.

9. I'm a former teacher and was inspired to donate my unused stationery items, standard school supplies, pencils, pens, and other writing utensils to places of education in underdeveloped countries.

10. We want to change lives by advancing international understanding and education to benefit others and help them become self-sufficient.

11. We are teaching kids the importance of service above self, service to others, and uniting the community by setting up a donation box of goodwill or donation bin for people to drop off items donated to communities in need.

12. During a trip, I visited a school in Africa and wanted to send supplies to empower lives by donating education-based resources to areas affected by economic deterioration.

13. I'm trying to help young adults by raising awareness, raising money, sponsoring a drive, or soliciting donations to reach out to others in need.

14. We are a company that changed our name and logo and want to use a great opportunity for impact by donating supplies with our old name/logo to benefit a good cause.

15. We want to empower girls to change the world by improving education and supporting girls in education through our charity event serving youth and children.

16. Our humanitarian group wants to fight against human rights abuse and alleviate poverty by promoting the right to an education as a fundamental human right through international charities.

17. We are motivated to help educate because of our love for books. This incentivizes us to donate towards educational resources in Africa to benefit early childhood development and children's education.

18. Our African Student Association's donation committee has recently focused on global issues and wants to hold a competition to collect pencils because it is an excellent opportunity for impacting all levels of education.

19. We want to pay it forward and volunteer for a national outreach charity serving a great cause.

20. We understand that African orphans struggle to strive and prosper. We want to help them develop working skills by providing solar lanterns for a good cause. 
 


 

Shipping trivia/facts

  • We do not have a loading dock. 
  • Our office is on the first floor, and if items are sent on a pallet, we will receive the pallet outside and break it down before bringing the boxes into the storage room. 
  • We can receive any volume of boxes. 
  • We receive an average of 10 to 15 boxes every week (excluding large shipments)
  • We have received shipments as large as 17 - 20 boxes from one organization in one day.
  • We are well known (and liked) by all shipping companies (FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL, etc.). We imagine they want us because our incoming boxes/pallets generate thousands of dollars of business for them each year.

Would you like to be a drop-off location in your city? Please get in touch with us to discuss this.

 

 

Families in Sierra Leone face unprecedented challenges due to rising costs. Inflation makes it difficult for them to afford basic food staples such as rice, cooking oil, and onions.

Extending a helping hand can alleviate a significant burden and provide essential relief to the less fortunate.

Help provide relief by donating today!

Help provide relief food