You can read this because someone once put a book in your hands.
For $7, you can do the same for a child in Benin: a 62-page storybook in French, printed in Benin and carried to their community.
Send a storybookDelivery 1: 20 storybooks sent to Atomè, Aplahoué, in southern Benin. We're waiting for the first photos.
A class with nothing to read is a swimming lesson with no water
Picture teaching a child to swim on a dry floor.
You can explain the strokes, and the child can copy your arms.
But the child will never swim, because swimming only happens in water.
Reading works the same way.
A child learns to read by reading, for hours, from stories they want to finish.
That practice is what turns letters into words, and words into meaning.
Age 10 is the line that matters.
Until then, school teaches children to read.
After that, school expects them to read so they can learn everything else: math, science, instructions.
A child who misses that line falls further behind in every subject, every year.
The usual answer is to ship old books. Here's why we don't.
For decades, the answer has been to fill shipping containers with used books from rich countries.
The people who did it meant well.
But those books often arrive in the wrong language, don't match what's taught, and show a life the children don't recognize.
Free books from abroad also compete with local publishers, which makes it harder for the people writing for these children to stay in business.
You can fill a shelf that way and still leave a class with nothing it can read.
Source: BnF, La Revue des livres pour enfants no. 312, on book donations
What we do instead
- Our own storybooks. We write and illustrate them ourselves. Each one is 62 pages.
- In French, because French is the language Benin's primary schools teach in, so it's the language children are learning to read.
- Printed in Benin, so the money pays a printer there and the books don't spend months in a shipping container.
- Carried by people we pay, straight to the community. Our first delivery was arranged with the town hall in Aplahoué.
- $7 a book. That covers printing it, paying the people who carry it, and the trip.
Delivery 1: Atomè, in southern Benin
We're new, and we'd rather tell you that than pretend otherwise.
Our first 20 storybooks have gone to a community in Atomè, in the commune of Aplahoué, arranged with the town hall.
We're waiting for the town hall to confirm that the children have them, and for the first photos.
When the photos arrive, they go here.
Send storybooks to children in Benin
Each $7 you give puts one storybook, printed in Benin, in a child's hands. We email you when your books arrive.
- Payments handled by Stripe
- Apple Pay, Google Pay & cards
- An email with a photo when your books arrive
- Monthly gifts: cancel any time
10 books for children in Benin, printed there and carried to them.
Gifts are pooled so books go where they're needed. The book count is your gift divided by $7.
What $7 pays for
Every book on this page costs $7 to print in Benin and put in a child's hands. The book counts you see are your gift divided by $7.
Card fees are about 3%. You can cover them at checkout, so they don't come out of the books.
- Printing one 62-page storybook in Benin$4
- Paying the people who carry it, and the trip to the community$3
- One storybook, delivered$7
What happens after you give
- Right awayA receipt by email.
- NextYour books are printed in Benin and go out with the next delivery.
- When they arriveWe email you where your books went, with a photo.
Questions people ask before they give
How do I know this is real?+
We're new, so we'll show you rather than ask you to trust us. Our first 20 books have gone to Atomè, in Aplahoué, and the photos go on this page when they arrive. You can write to admin@wellspringinitiative.org with any question, and if you made a mistake, you can get a full refund within 30 days.
Who makes the books?+
We write and illustrate them ourselves. Each one is a 62-page storybook in French, printed in Benin.
Why French and not a local language?+
French is the language Benin's primary schools teach in, so it's the language children are learning to read. Local languages such as Adja, Fon and Gun are spoken at home, but outside a few pilot schools they aren't used for teaching.
Where do the books go?+
To communities in southern Benin. The first delivery went to Atomè, in the commune of Aplahoué, arranged with the town hall.
What does $7 pay for?+
$4 prints one 62-page storybook in Benin, and $3 pays the people who carry it and the trip to the community.
Is my donation tax-deductible?+
No. Build It Well isn't registered as a nonprofit yet, so gifts are not tax-deductible. We'll say so here the day that changes.
Will I find out where my gift went?+
Yes. We email you when your books arrive, with where they went and a photo.
Is my payment secure?+
Yes. Payments are encrypted and processed by Stripe, a PCI DSS Level 1 certified payment provider. Your card number never touches our servers.
Which payment methods can I use?+
Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Link, plus local payment methods where they're available. We don't offer buy-now-pay-later for donations.
Can I give in honor or memory of someone?+
Yes. Choose “Give in honor or memory of someone” when you pick your gift and add their name.
How do I change or cancel a monthly gift?+
Reply to any receipt email or write to admin@wellspringinitiative.org, and we'll change or cancel it the same day.
Can I get a refund?+
If you made a mistake, email admin@wellspringinitiative.org within 30 days and we'll refund your gift in full.
Somebody put a book in your hands once.
You probably never found out what it cost them, and you can't pay them back. But for $7, you can do the same for a child in Benin.