by Vivian Yang

JD.com started a new round of its children books’ donation campaign on Apr. 23 to coincide with World Reading Day 2021.  From Apr. 23 to May 19, people in 28  provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China may donate books by a few simple clicks on JD’s app.

Once the book pick-up appointment is made through the JD app, JD’s couriers will collect them free of charge. All of the books will be sent to charity organizations for selection, sorting and disinfection before being delivered to designated schools.

Donated books are required in good condition to be eligible for the program. Picture books, educational books, classic literature and reference books for children between 5 to 12 years old are preferred.

“The entire book donation process is tracked in JD’s system,” said Chen Zeng, vice president of JD.com. “Donators can easily find the whereabouts of their donated books and charity organizations will also publicize their book handling details on the platform to keep a transparent record.”

This campaign, started in 2015, is the e-commerce giant’s flagship charity initiative aiming at increasing reading access for children in China’s rural and underdeveloped areas. It draws increasing attention and participation from society over the years. This year, the program will continue to be organized by JD Foundation, People’s Daily, China Social Assistant Foundation and Stars Youth Development Center, and supported by JD Books, JD Reading and JD Logistics.

Before the public campaign, JD Books has offered 500 books to a middle school in Beijing for children of migrant workers. Meanwhile, JD Reading donated dozens of e-readers and hundreds of e-books and audiobooks to charity organizations, in an effort to enrich children’s reading choices.

“Every book has the potential to change a child’s life. We are pleased to see that more and more caring people and organizations join this campaign this year to satisfy more children’s thirst for reading,” Zeng added.

(vivian.yang@jd.com)