Books of Hope
Speaking Books for Healthcare Education
Books of Hope fills a unique niche in complementing vital global health interventions.
Investment Stories
SNAPSHOT
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Books of Hope produces one-of-a-kind Speaking Books – illustrated health education narratives with built-in audio – that help low-literacy communities understand critical health messages. Books of Hope is arming these communities with the information needed to treat and prevent diseases such as malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS.
The Challenge
- UNESCO reports that 796 million adults worldwide lack minimum literacy skills. This high rate of illiteracy poses a major challenge to conducting effective health education campaigns, whose frontline tools are often limited to pamphlets, signage and advertisements.
The Innovation
- Books of Hope created Speaking Books, which, through their illustrated health education narratives and built-in audio, help those who cannot read to learn important health information. The books are narrated in local languages and designed to reflect cultural norms.
The Impact
- Speaking Books are more effective than traditional health education pamphlets, more cost-effective and scalable than in-person health trainers, and more accessible than television and Internet in communities that lack regular access to electricity or telecommunications.
- Books of Hope has gained major traction among the global health community. Speaking Books are an attractive complement to existing health programs and new campaigns against malaria, TB andHIV/AIDS. Examples of Speaking Books include: Living with HIV and AIDS, Living Free of TB and Moving against Malaria, which focuses on malaria prevention and treatment. Watch this short video to see Moving Against Malaria in action.