Press Release: 1001Buku and Starbucks Launch ?1001Buku Untuk Aceh? campaign
, by: Tim GPK

Press Release 

1001Buku and Starbucks Launch ?1001Buku Untuk Aceh? campaign

The 1001Buku community, a volunteer and children?s library network, has strengthened its commitment in providing access to good reading to less fortunate children by launching a new program named ?1001Buku for Aceh?. This program was launched on Tuesday, 5th April 2005 at Starbuck?s Pasaraya Grande Jakarta.

The Tsunami which struck Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra has caused tens of thousands of victims and refugees. This has automatically swept away the children?s right to live a decent life and have good education.

1001Buku, as a community that cares about children?s right to read and have access to books, consists of a group of volunteers and a children?s library network that has been involved in children?s cognitive development through reading and educational toys. The main program of ?1001Buku for Aceh? is basically collecting and distributing books, stationary, drawing equipment and toys to child tsunami victims in Aceh and North Sumatra. 1001Buku has concentrated on those areas due to the lack of infrastructure for providing education and cognitive growth in Aceh and North Sumatra especially the lack of availability of reading materials that enable psycho-motoric development for children.

In this program, 1001Buku has been supported by PT Sari Coffee Indonesia as the holder of the Starbucks license in Indonesia. Positive contribution to society and the community has been an important aspect to Starbucks and therefore it is the guiding principle of its mission. Starbucks encourages and rewards volunteerism and also participation in organizations that are important to their partners. ?We are proud to participate in this program as one of Starbucks? annual social events.? Says Anthony Cottan, the General Manager of PT Sari Coffee Indonesia. ?This is a good moment for Starbucks? partners and customers to take part and donate books in this program,? added Mr. Cottan.

Book collecting for this program is run through the BDB (Book Drop Box) system that is placed in all Starbucks outlets. Later on, the donations will be distributed to Aceh through networks that cooperate with 1001Buku. In this case, 1001Buku cooperates with a local Non-Government Organization (People Crisis Center ? PCC and Acehkids ? www.acehkids.org) as the center of our distribution activities in Aceh. The Organization will then open spontaneous reading spots in refugee barracks and will do book rolling amongst the barracks.

The 1001Buku community is a group of volunteers and a children?s library network which is committed to providing access to good quality reading for unfortunate children. It was established in May 2002 and launched for the first time on January 10, 2003. Today, this community has gathered and distributed more than 50,000 books and consists of 50 active volunteers, 1,100 cyber-volunteers, 62 Book Drop Box (Book Collecting Points) and supports 110 libraries/children readings spots through out Indonesia.

The 1001Buku Community has established a mailing list, which enables the community to exchange information. Activities have been run through meetings, by mailing list, on-line messenger, e-mails and mobile meeting points. With the lack of facilities, the spirit of the 1001Buku volunteers will always endure because the spirit, the sincerity and the high determination of the volunteers and contributors are the main asset of this movement.