The Indigenous Literacy Project (ILP) is a partnership between the Australian Book Industry and The Fred Hollows Foundation.  

Working closely with the Australian Booksellers Association and the Australian Publishers Association, The Fred Hollows Foundation purchases and supplies books and other culturally appropriate learning materials to remote communities where The Foundation works.  Communities select and order reading material from catalogues and sample books provided by The Australian Booksellers Association.  Fred Hollows Foundation staff also identify other literacy needs.  The books are then supplied to schools, libraries, early learning centres such as crèches, Women's Centres and other identified institutions, to enhance their pool of literacy resources.

Our major fundraising effort in 2008 is Indigenous Literacy Day to be held on Wednesday September 3, 2008.

History

We began four years ago at Riverbend Books in Queensland with a simple question.  What could we do to help address the current literacy crisis in remote Indigenous communities?   We were deeply concerned that illiteracy in many of these communities was a common and critical barrier to the full, healthy and happy life many of us take for granted.  Low literacy is consistently linked to poor health, social and economic outcomes. 

More simply we couldn’t imagine a world without books and reading.

Four years later we now operate across Australia with the full and enthusiastic support of the Australian Book Industry as the Indigenous Literacy Project.

You can read more about our history here.