Bula, I’m Fiona Luth👋I’m the CEO and founder of the grassroots Australian not-for-profit, Fiji Book Drive, which over the last 13 years has sent almost 350,000 books to underprivileged schools and communities in Fiji. As an English teacher by profession, I’ve experienced first hand the power of literacy and having access to ideas, stories and information, having taught from deprived schools in London to private schools in Melbourne.On a life changing trip to Fiji’s fourth largest island, Kadavu, I was struck by the quality and lack of books in local schools and returned to Australia burning to address this issue and founded Fiji Book Drive in 2012.Since then, I’ve built the charity from the ground up including: 📖 Sourcing books🚢 Handling freighting, warehousing and logistics📦 Managing thousands of Australian volunteers💥 Visiting Fiji twice a year and hiring local staff 👉 Fundraising and partnering with Fiji and Australia’s most prominent brands, including recently with Melbourne Storm and Grand Pacific Hotel📚 Delivering books to schools across the islands, including to the most remote villages that involve carrying books on horseback and crossing a river many times overAs of August 2024, we have sent 348,504 books and teachers have reported that our work has been “nation building” for Fiji.As a speaker, I have spoken multiple times a year at events including the Women Economic Forum on Fiji Book Drive, the topics of social justice, social impact business and running a not-for-profit, and the importance of literacy in development🎤 I have also been featured in the media in both Fiji and Australia, including The Fiji Times, FijiTV, Foxtel, 3AW Radio, FBC News, Bula FM, and more📰📺In 2018, I was awarded a scholarship to attend the Social Entrepreneurship program at INSEAD, Singapore’s globally renowned business school. I was also nominated for Telstra’s 2015 Social Entrepreneur of the Year.To book me as a speaker, podcast or media guest, please DM here on LinkedIn or email me at fionaluth@fijibookdrive.org🎙️ Media kit to come!To donate to Fiji Book Drive, head to our donation link here🌟 https://www.fijibookdrive.org/donate To contribute in other ways such as volunteering your skills, hosting fundraisers and events, and connecting us with helpful contacts, pop me a DM or email me at fionaluth@fijibookdrive.org📩And don’t forget to follow me here on LinkedIn and subscribe to Fiji Book Drive’s newsletter at www.fijibookdrive.org to follow along for the journey of running our grassroots not-for-profit🙌🏽Vinaka Vakalevu