Drive Books, Not Cars!
You’ve probably already heard of Drive Books, Not Cars, but if not here is a little breakdown of the tiny, but powerful grassroots initiative. Last Sept DBNC raised over Rp 31 million in support of Sahabat Anak and Taman Bacaan Pelangi, two inspiring children’s reading and education initiatives here in Jakarta and Flores, NTT. But they need your help again—your help and your books!
The idea is spectacular in its simplicity but the implementation has been complex, made a lot smoother by many, many people (like you, hopefully) who have said, “Alright, I am going to support this.”
In a nutshell, Drive Books, Not Cars is conducting a massive book drive that will culminate in a gargantuan one-day secondhand book sale on Jan 29nd. Where you ask? Just outside Ex off Jl. Thamrin, one of Jakarta’s busiest thoroughfares!
Drive Books, Not Cars has already collected thousands of books from The Adventures of Tin Tin and Harry Potter and the “Chamber of Secrets” to ”Confessions of an Economic Hitman” and “The Great Gasby.” But we need your help to reach our goal.
So how can you help?
Up until January 27th the team is collecting English-language novels and Indonesian-language children’s books. The English-language novels are the books sold at the huge one-day sale while the Indonesian-language children’s books go directly to the kids in Flores (See Drive Books, Not Cars Facebook page for photos of the Drive in action).
There are drop-off points at more than 40 Starbucks’ locations around Jakarta, as well as the Australian Embassy, the Jakarta Globe, Peak Apartments, Erasmus Huis, the Japan Foundation, Blitzmegaplex, the Habibie Center and Kinokuniya bookstores. The boxes are everywhere!
Last September we collected over 5,000 books. We need your help to make January’s Drive our biggest drive yet!
How do I donate books?
Fortunately, there are a lot of people who are joining you in supporting this. Here are the places you can drop off the books:
- 40 Starbucks outlets up and down Jalan Sudirman and in your favorite malls
- Plaza Indonesia (Three Locations)
-Australian Embassy
-Peak Apartments
-Kinokuniya locations around town
- BlitzMegaplex (drop them off before you go see a flick)
- The Jakarta Globe newsroom in Kuningan
- Caz Bar in Mega Kuningan
- Eastern Promise in Kemang
- @bagel2bagel in Kemang
- @habibiecenter in Kemang
- @SbuxIndonesia in Kemang
What happens if I live in Bandung??
There are four Starbucks locations where you can drop off your books:
1. Bandung Indah Plaza
2. Paris Van Java
3. Citywalk
4. KM 97
So Where Will My Books Go? Who Am I Really Helping?
A team from Taman Bacaan Pelangi, an organization that establishes small libraries for children in remote villages in Flores, NTT, will have a look through the books and choose which ones they can use for their libraries in NTT. The remaining English-language novels will be sold outside Ex Plaza Indonesia extension on Sunday, January 29th, during Car Free Day. All the funds from the books sold will go to Taman Bacaan Pelangi and Sahabat Anak.
Sahabat Anak delivers various informal education for street children in Jakarta and its surrounds. Driven by youth volunteers, they currently carry out tutoring programs in 7 urban areas, at 1 street kindergarten,1 transit house, and 1 informal school for drop-out street teens. More info:
www.sahabatanak.com or call (62
21) 391 8505.
The money from the Drive is split right down the middle between Sahabat Anak and Taman Bacaan Pelangi. Pelangi will use the money to establish new libraries in NTT and Sahabak Anak will use their cash to pay school tuition fees for marginalized children involved in the Sahabat Anak program.
Taman Bacaan Pelangi is a non-profit social project to establish children’s libraries in remote areas of Eastern part of Indonesia. So far, it has established 17 libraries for children in remote villages in Flores, NTT. By providing access to good children’s books, Taman Bacaan Pelangi strives to encourage and nurture children’s interest in reading
I am totally up for supporting this, is there any other way I can help??
Yes! You can cut and paste this e-mail, or make one of your own and send it on to all the people you know. We are really hoping this becomes a huge project, something everyone in Jakarta can get behind. There would be nothing better than turning the area outside Ex into a massive book market on Car Free Day.
PS: For even more information, please contact:
Zack Petersen 08176050817
Nila Tanzil 081510099013
Scott Hanna 08121093602
