Fourteen years ago, the Green Team turned their passion for upcycling into a transformative project – uniting sustainability with a love for reading, to support the charity “Room to Read”. It all began with a successful book sale, featuring donations from our generous ISA families. Children’s books were priced at 1 or 2 euros, and adult books at 3 euros, each purchase bringing smiles to a community of readers and marking the start of a meaningful journey.

Over the years, the funds raised by the ISA community have created a significant impact. The proceeds were used to contribute to the education of numerous children, provide essential teacher training and resources, and sponsor the printing of books in the home languages of the countries supported by Room to Read.

Five years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ISA ‘Room to Read’ group earmarked all proceeds from future book sales and donations for a special project: the construction of a vibrant library in Bangladesh stocked with Room to Read’s captivating children’s books. This initiative also included implementing a comprehensive literacy programme and providing resources and teacher training. Thanks to the success of our recent book sales, the ‘Room to Read’ group was able to recently donate a total of €33,159.39 on behalf of the International School of Amsterdam and the construction of the library was made possible!

According to ISA’s belief of Developing Communities, we build sustainable futures. “We encourage our students, families, and staff to support a variety of local and global service projects and eco-initiatives. ISA’s commitment to reaching out to others is deeply embedded in our culture: from supporting international disaster relief efforts to providing care to others less fortunate. Our ‘green’ activities provide everyone at ISA with an opportunity to contribute to society and to our shared resources – from the Dutch polders to the Brazilian rainforests.”

The journey from passion to action has not only changed lives but is also creating a lasting legacy of learning, showcasing the power of commitment and community involvement.

Mark your calendars!
We are pleased to share that the book sale will be returning for the first time post-pandemic. We will be collecting books from Monday, 25 March to Friday, 5 April, 2024. The book sale will take place the week of 8-12 April, 2024.

Volunteers
Would you like to be part of this dynamic action? Please contact Marta van der Meer-Telleman at mvandermeer@isa.nl