Gia Lai (VNA) – The “Books for trees” programme 2024, held by charity group Fly To Sky and more t𝄹han 30 agencies, organisations and businesses, saw nearly 10,000 item exchanges and drawn more than 6,000 volunteers in exchange points across the country.

It received 14 tonnes of books and papers of all kinds, more than 25,000 items of clothing and toys, nearly 20,000 old batteries, 32,000 used milk bottles, cans and carton boxes, and many others. The annual event aims to promote the reading culture, especially among youngsters, and raise public awareness of the environmental protection. This year, the programme took place from May 11 to July 28 with 33 exchange points in eight cities and provinces across the country, namely Gia Lai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Can Tho, Da Nang, Lam Dong, Binh Thuan, and Tay Ninh. Le Pham Khang An, a fourth grader of Nguyen Luong Bang primary school in Pleiku city of the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, said he is excited to exchange his old books for plants and join various activities at the programme such as painting plant pots, decorating canvas bags, recycling plastic bottles, planting seeds, and visiting a wildlife conservation exhibition. ‌ All books received at the programme have been classified and presented to needy students, and other products recycled to raise fund for community projects of Fly To Sky, which is run by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMYU)’s National Volunteer Centre. Le Van Phuc, deputy head of the Standing Board of the National Volunteers’ Network in the southern region, head of the Fly To Sky and manager of the programme, said that the model of exchanging books for trees collects 10-20 tonnes of paper and books of all kinds every year. After 6 years, the programme has spread widely, attracting more than 33,000 participants with over 85 tonnes of books and paper exchanged. ‌ Each year, the programme hands over 500 - 700 sets of textbooks and more than 5,000 - 10,000 books to needy students in mountainous, remote, border, ethnic minority-inhabited areas, and social support facilities, said Phuc, calling for the community to actively engage in the programme. ‌Established in 2018, Fly To Sky, a non-profit organisation operating across the country, has implemented 27 community projects and 180 programmes in the fields of culture, education, health care, social welfare and environment in Gia Lai and 25 cities and provinces across the country with a total cost of nearly 13 billion VND (515,821 USD)./.