Duffy Books In Homes Celebrates 15 Million Books Delivered

Duffy Books in Homes (DBIH) has reached a significant milestone, with 15 million books delivered into the hands of Kiwi kids since its founding in 1994. Each year, nearly 100,000 ‘Duffy Kids’ across the country receive six brand-new books to own and cherish, thanks to the ongoing support of more than 200 funding partners, donors, and supporters.

Founded by author Alan Duff, the programme aims to break the cycle of “booklessness” and promote literacy by fostering a love of reading from an early age.

“This was what I dreamt of more than 30 years ago when I founded Duffy Books in Homes,” said Duff. “It has been a privilege to see how DBIH has helped promote literacy, instil a love of books, and give children a real sense of ownership over their learning. We couldn’t have done this without our amazing team, in-school coordinators, role models, and especially our funding partners and supporters. A huge thank you to all who have been involved over the last 30 years.”

The Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) study, highlights this significance with the study, which tracked over 6,000 children, finding that homes filled with books has a positive impact on how often children read and how much they enjoyed it. Literacy rates can be a strong predictor of the economic and career prospects of young people when leaving school. Regardless of what job or career children aspire to do, they need to be literate.

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DBIH General Manager, Linda Vagana says that “We’re proud that our programme has been able to deliver 15 million books to kids (and counting). Recent research suggests that children who love reading often develop stronger comprehension and writing skills, greater general knowledge, and positive attitudes toward learning. These foundational skills and attitudes are essential for lifelong learning and personal growth.”

The recent transition from the decile system to the Equity Index (EQI), has made 160 more schools eligible to join our programme – which is a lot of children without access to books. Our supporters help us deliver brand new books into nearly 100,000 Kiwi kids hands through their school. Books which they themselves choose and are theirs to keep for life.

Ms Vagana adds, “The support the programme has received in the past 31 years, means that hundreds of thousands of Kiwi children have been able to increase their literacy which has had a positive outcome on their lives. These children have become adults who inspire a love of reading and can continue this positive cycle for generations to come. Our mission remains focused on inspiring and empowering a nation of successful tamariki through a love of reading and book ownership. With rising costs and increasing demand, we’re calling on new funding partners and donors to come on board. Now, more than ever, their support is crucial to keeping the programme thriving.”

Prospective partners and supporters are encouraged to visit booksinhomes.org.nz to learn how they can support the DBIH mission.

About Duffy Books in Homes

Duffy Books in Homes is a not-for-profit organisation working with over 550 schools and more than 260 early childhood centres around Aotearoa New Zealand. The organisation was created in 1994 and aims to inspire a love of books in children, so they become adults who inspire a love of reading. They do this through their literacy programme where schools in priority communities are given the option to become a ‘Duffy school’. Students at Duffy schools receive 6 books per year to take home and own. Duffy Books in Homes has a small team in Auckland, with over 200 funding partners and supporters across New Zealand. The programme has been so successful, it has inspired offshoot programmes in Australia and the USA. 

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