Asia Requests English-Language Books

Books for Asia Supports Need for English-Language Texts with Online Effort to
Provide 1 Million Books

Accomplished Photojournalists Document Individuals Inspired by Books at
booksforasia.org
SAN FRANCISCO--(Business Wire)--
English-language books-rigorous, college-level textbooks; vital reference texts;
children's storybooks-are increasingly in demand across the Asia-Pacific region,
according to Books for Asia. An initiative that supports Asia`s development
goals by providing needed texts from world-class publishers, Books for Asia is
The Asia Foundation`s longest running program. Across Asia, educators are
requesting textbooks to provide English-language instruction, which is
compulsory in much of the region. Many professional texts in the fields of
medicine, law, and technology are published only in English. Books for Asia is
asking publishers and donors to help support its effort to donate and deliver 1
million books this year.

"Knowledge transforms lives and communities, and educators want to empower their
students. English-language skills allow students to boost their
potential-potential for improved income, potential for a broader experience of
life," said Melody Zavala, director of Books for Asia. "Across Asia, there is a
thirst for English-language knowledge and skills, and it spans every class and
sector of society."

To make publishers and international donors aware of the impact these books can
have, particularly in remote and underserved areas marred by poverty or
conflict, The Asia Foundation asked accomplished independent photojournalists
Ted Wood, portrait contributor to Vanity Fair, and Josef Polleross,
international contributor to The New York Times, and others, to tell the stories
of real people and communities transformed by books. Their absorbing images,
presented in rich, full-screen slideshows, were launched today at
http://booksforasia.org.

The online exhibit, The Power of a Book: Books for Asia Stories, depicts four
individuals in four different regions. One, photographed by Polleross, tells the
story of Pranorn Maisan, a teacher in Phuket, Thailand, who helped distribute
more than 90,000 Books for Asia-donated textbooks to tsunami-affected schools.
In another, photographed by Wood in gripping, wide-lens images, Bat-erdene
Khayanhyarvaa, a former governor of a province on the stark, Mongolian frontier
who taught himself English using Books for Asia texts, says, "You can`t succeed
without thinking beyond your town." The exhibit is generously underwritten by
AARP and Chevron.

Books for Asia is active across the Asia-Pacific and is particularly focused on
assisting students and teachers in areas experiencing turbulence. Said Zavala,
"Books allow education to go forward, despite disruptions and severely depleted
resources. Books in conflict zones or post-natural disaster areas provide
exposure to information outside one`s region, inspiring the imagination and
critical thinking skills-crucial for young people exposed to instability." In
Sri Lanka, for instance, Books for Asia recently used boats and short inland
flights to get books to schoolchildren in conflict-torn areas. In 2008, the
program provided more than 100,000 books to over 775 institutions there,
including primary and secondary schools, libraries, universities, and government
agencies.

"Books provide life-changing insight and information for students who will soon
be the adults that the rest of the world will work and collaborate alongside in
business, science, technology, and diplomacy," said Zavala.

Books for Asia has identified priority nations where educators report an unmet
need for textbooks and is asking for additional book donations and funds to
support these students and their teachers.

* In Pakistan, one third of the population is impoverished, and the literacy gap
between boys and girls, is expected to widen. Still, English is required, and
Books for Asia has been successful, through its staff and in-country network, in
getting books to the turbulent Northwest Frontier Provinces and Balochistan.
Tens of thousands of books are delivered to Pakistan annually, and donations
include law books for female councilors who provide legal aid to women, and
storybooks for children in earthquake-prone Kaghan Valley. To date,
approximately 55,000 out of a goal of 60,000 have reached Pakistan.
* In Afghanistan, security concerns and a lack of qualified teachers willing to
work in many parts of the country remains an obstacle in supporting its 32.7
million people. Literacy rates remain low, hindering the country`s development.
In 2008, Books for Asia donated 40,000 new books to 170 institutions, including
public libraries, schools, teacher training centers, and government ministries.
Recently, Books for Asia provided materials and support for library construction
at a girls` high school, including re-training of teachers. To date, 22,000
books have been shipped to Afghanistan-transport is coordinated through the
unpredictable Khyber Pass-out of a target of more than 65,000.
* In Thailand, although literacy rates are high, political upheaval and ethnic
conflict in the south threatens the nation`s education system. In 2008, Books
for Asia donated more than 80,000 texts to nearly 750 institutions. The overall
focus of the books effort is to help foster an atmosphere of stability and
knowledge. To date, more than 22,000 texts out of a goal of 45,000 have been
provided to students and educators.

"We are grateful to publishers and donors," said Zavala. "But we urgently need
more texts, more funds. Our staff in Asia is committed and persistent-and we are
successfully reaching remote, difficult areas."

In 2008, Books for Asia and its publisher partners donated $41 million worth of
books and resources to more than 20 million students, from grade school to
graduate school, in 18 Asian countries. Donations are coordinated by Asia
Foundation experts to assure that books are high quality, useful, and culturally
appropriate.

About Books for Asia

Since 1954, The Asia Foundation`s Books for Asia program has been committed to
promoting a just, peaceful, open, and prosperous Asia and to the belief that
education is critical to Asia`s advancement. Books for Asia puts nearly 1
million new books and resources into the hands of students, teachers,
librarians, and future leaders in 18 Asian countries each year, through the
generous contributions of our partner publishers. Today`s world leaders and
visionaries, such as Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank,
and Hilario Davide, Ambassador-Permanent Representative of the Philippines to
the United Nations, read Books for Asia texts as young students. For more
information, please visit http://booksforasia.org.

About The Asia Foundation

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to
the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region.
The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance, law, and
civil society; women's empowerment; economic reform and development; and
international relations. Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in Asia,
the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support
leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.

With offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its
headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a
country and regional level. In 2008, the Foundation provided more than $87
million in program support and distributed over 1 million books and educational
materials valued at $41 million throughout Asia. For more information, please
visit http://asiafoundation.org.

For interviews with Melody Zavala, Director of Books for Asia:

Contact Amy Ovalle at aovalle@asiafound.org or 415-743-3340. Or visit our booth
at the Books Expo America in New York City (booth number 912) from Friday, May
29 through Sunday, May 31, 2009.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5968339&lang=en

The Asia Foundation
Amy Ovalle, 415-743-3340
aovalle@asiafound.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009