History

The Indigenous Literacy Project (ILP) first began in 2004 to raise money for Indigenous literacy when Suzy Wilson, the owner of Riverbend Books in Queensland, set up the Riverbend Readers’ Challenge in partnership with The Fred Hollows Foundation and Ian Thorpe’s Foundation for Youth Trust. Wanting to help people in remote Indigenous communities where there is little access to books and where children often grow up with little or no ability to read, Suzy Wilson posed the question, ‘Can you imagine a world without books or reading?'

Through The Riverbend Readers’ Challenge, which ran in Queensland and some interstate schools during 2004 and 2005, Suzy encouraged children to consider this question. Children were able to help raise money for Indigenous Literacy by reading 10 books from specially prepared booklists and paying $5 to participate. In its first year 112 schools took part, and for the challenge young Australians read over 38,000 books. The result was almost $25,000 raised for the purchase of books.

In 2005 The Riverbend Readers’ Challenge continued to grow, with school and individual registrations rising rapidly across Australia. Also, an adult reading list was introduced so that parents, teachers, bookclubs and organisations were able to participate.

In 2006 Suzy Wilson marshalled the Australian Book Industry to run a national challenge. With the support of The Australian Publishers Association, The Australian Booksellers Association as well as The Australian Society of Authors, the Riverbend Readers’ Challenge expanded to become The Australian Readers’ Challenge, and once again readers paid $5 to participate. That year, over 150,000 books were read, and the collective effort of 350 schools, 64 public libraries and 48 bookshops around Australia raised $80,000 for three remote communities based in the Northern Territory.

The following year, 2007, The Australian Readers' Challenge evolved into a simple fundraising model and became The Indigenous Literacy Project, a partnership of the Australian Book Industry and The Fred Hollows Foundation. ILP launched Indigenous Literacy Day, which is held the first Wednesday in September, with the aim of raising $100,000. That year, with the support of publishers, booksellers, schools, authors and libraries around Australia, over $250,000 was raised – with the majority of the fundraising coming from publishers and booksellers.

In 2008 Thérèse Rein became patron of the project and with the support of over 300 schools and nearly 300 booksellers and publishers $300,000 was raised.  Thérèse Rein was patron until July 2010. Today  ILP has 16 ambassadors, including eminent Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous authors and leading musicians, who work tirelessly to raise awareness of Indigenous literacy. When this project first started in 2004 books were sent to three remote Indigenous communities. Five years later, in 2009, over 15,000 books reached 160 remote Indigenous communities across Australia and the fundraising effort totalled $377,000.