Literacy: the greatest treasure of all | Alfred Chidembo | TEDxCanberra

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Alfred Chidembo turned humble beginnings into a powerful sense of purpose to promote education for all and improve literacy through reclaimed and rescued books once destined for landfill. Through his charity Aussie Books for Zim, Alfred has established libraries and has sent thousands of books back home in Zimbabwe, turning trash into treasure. His goal is to place a book in the hands of every child in Africa. Born in Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, Alred grew up in the remote rural village of Mudzi. At the age of six, he would walk five kilometres to school each day. Alfred was desperate to learn about the world, but his school had no books to read or write in, so Alfred learnt to write in the sand.

More than 20 years later, Alfred has achieved his dream of obtaining a PhD and founded Aussie Books for Zim, a charity on a mission to improve the education and prospects of children in Zimbabwe. To date, Alfred and his team have sent more than 100,000 books to Zimbabwe. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx