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Book It Forward is an online initiative launched on Facebook by an Egyptian young woman called Nahla Bassam in 2015. It is a Facebook group that aims at connecting those who love reading with those who are keen on doing charity work.

The starting point
She started with a simple thought of selling her used books and donating the money she gets to charities. Nahla was personally motivated to do something good and was convinced that she had to realize something effective and productive that would benefit everyone. She thought of selling fifty books of hers and her friends as an attempt to share the knowledge and give the cash returns to those who need it.

When she realized that she made a success on the personal level and that she managed to make a difference, she decided to share the spirit on a societal level by creating a Facebook group. It was at this time when she started to receive many donations of used books and sell it to the group members.

Recording and Tracking
Nahla began making records of everything; how many used books she got, their prices and how many she sold. She wanted to be transparent as possible, especially that many of the group members did not know about her and if she was honest about what she was doing or not. And to assure the members that everything was being done as agreed, she published the received invoices from the non-profit organizations at the end of each month.

Making Profits
After the first year, Nahla was able to collect seventeen thousand Egyptian pounds. As a result, many people loved what she did and were convinced to become a part of this charitable work, the thing that made thousands join her initiative.

Nahla decided to offer what she collects to the medical institutions, for instance; Baheya Hospital (a women’s hospital that helps them detect and treat breast cancer), El- Demerdash Hospital ( a hospital that provides medical services for all patients), Abu El-Reesh Hospital (children’s hospital, which provides special nursing and medical services for the children) and the Kidney Center in Mansoura University (specialized in the treatment of kidney diseases, urology and kidney transplantation surgeries). She believes that having a disease is one of the hardest things that humans must deal with and that, at the same time, costs a fortune.

Later, many authors began to support what she does by giving her their published books free of charge, with their signatures on them, to be sold to the members on the group and eventually help raise funds for non- profit medical organizations.

Her Message
Nahla’s message is very simple and clear. She wanted to make a difference in her society and to encourage others to do the same. She was keen to promote the idea of sharing and helping, moving away from the notion of self-interest and selfishness. Her authentic idea of bringing people together in a positive platform for readers to discuss books, offering them for reasonable prices to the group members and donating the cash returns is one of the examples to be followed. It is not only about taking, but also giving back.