A Dubai-based bookstore, BookHero, is offering free academic books to students from all over the world. The catch? They simply need to provide evidence of current academic enrollment.
For the past seven years, every August before school resumes, BookHero has championed this initiative. This year, they boast an impressive collection of around 5,000 academic books ranging from grade school to college. Students can avail up to four titles each.
According to a Khaleej Times report, the event is set to continue until September 4 at BookHero’s main store in Oasis Mall on Sheikh Zayed Road. Montserrat Martin, BookHero’s founder, emphasized that the offer isn’t just for UAE residents. As she noted, “An expat parent in Dubai with a child studying in India, Kenya or the Philippines can also benefit.”
Montserrat Martin, originally from Spain but a Dubai resident for 22 years, shared that the sustainability of this initiative rests on its consistency and the involvement of the local community. BookHero operates primarily on a book-swap model. Over the course of a year, surplus books from these swaps accumulate, leading to the generous giveaways in August.
Martin stressed the broader goal: “Making books accessible to all.” Besides local support, the store invites other companies to donate educational materials to smaller communities.
They’ve shipped hundreds of kilos of books to places like a Kenyan orphanage and a community in Andhra Pradesh, India.
An extension of this charitable venture, named “Travelling Hero,” allows residents or visitors in the UAE to collect books for distribution in their native countries, be it in libraries, orphanages, or other associations. All they have to do is accommodate the books in their luggage, with some even covering extra baggage fees out of goodwill.
Concluding on an emotional note, Martin expressed, “BookHero is a business, but its essence lies in continuous giving. The joy on the face of a book recipient? That’s a perpetually happy story.”
