Picture Book and Children’s Book Donation Project
(Sumitomo Corporation Middle East & Africa Group)
IRAQ & SOUTH AFRICA
Sumitomo Corporation Middle East & Africa Group supports children’s education in the region by donating picture books and children’s books to local organizations.
About the Picture Book and Children’s Book Donation Project
Donating books collected from employees to children in the region
The Sumitomo Corporation Group carries out 100SEED activities throughout its offices in the Middle East and Africa. When the online SDG-related education program in Türkiye ended, the team began exploring a new initiative. Drawing inspiration from a project in Ikuno Ward, Osaka, that donates multilingual children’s books to children with foreign roots*, they launched a social contribution initiative to donate picture books and children’s books no longer used by employees.
Around 330 employees in the Middle East and Africa were invited to drop books into collection boxes set up in two offices, and over the course of a month, 520 books were collected. The books are donated to UN-HABITAT in the Middle East region and to the NPO SAPESI in the Africa region to deliver them to local children.
*Supporting the Center for Building a Multiculturally Coexisting Community and Realize Their Vision
Mosul, Iraq
Supporting the recovery of a city devastated by conflict
Mosul, Iraq’s third-largest city, is undergoing reconstruction after years of destruction caused by prolonged fighting with ISIL. UN-HABITAT, the UN agency responsible for urban and housing issues, is supporting the city’s recovery by building public apartments for returning residents. Sumitomo Corporation Middle East & Africa Group joined this effort by donating over 1,000 picture books and children’s books, including those collected within the Group, at Sumitomo Corporation Baghdad Liaison Office・Erbil Liaison Office, and by local companies Sardar Group and Toyota Iraq.*
The books were delivered to two locations: the library within the Bab Sinjar Housing Complex, which began operation in 2022 with support from the Japanese government, and a new library being built inside “Japan Village,” currently under construction with Japanese government funding as part of the project’s second phase.
The books donated by employees came in various languages, including Japanese, English, and Arabic. Many were brightly colored, and some had sounds or pop-up illustrations, so even children who didn’t understand the language enjoyed them with bright, curious eyes.
In addition to the 100SEED, we have contributed to Mosul’s recovery through other donation activities, such as providing books to local school libraries and pediatric libraries in cancer wards. Toyota Iraq has also built a multipurpose sports field and installed solar-powered streetlights in Japan Village. In a country often associated with danger, the Sumitomo Corporation Group continues to promote forward-looking support in various forms.
*Sardar Group is Iraq’s largest automotive-related company. Sumitomo Corporation and Sardar Group jointly established Toyota Iraq, which operates as the official distributor for Toyota and Hino vehicles in Iraq.
Message from Mr. Teraoka of UN-HABITAT
In Iraq, literacy rates remain low and there are few bookstores. The country must prioritize infrastructure and housing just to ensure basic living conditions, leaving little room to invest in initiatives like book donations.
In this context, Sumitomo Corporation stepped in to fill that gap by delivering picture books in Japanese, English, and Arabic to children, a contribution that I believe will have a significant impact on their futures.
I saw firsthand how the children’s eyes lit up and their smiles broke out as they explored the beautiful illustrations, photographs, and pop-up features. And I believe their excitement naturally grew from seeing Sumitomo Corporation employees participate with genuine enthusiasm.
Partnerships like this with private companies are extremely rare even on a global scale, and the initiative has been highly praised by the local government. We regard our collaboration with the Sumitomo Corporation Group as a best practice, and we look forward to further strengthening our cooperation in the future.
Mr. Ryosuke Teraoka
UN-HABITAT Head of Kurdistan Region of Iraq Office
At the library of the Japan Village Project site with colleagues
South Africa
Expanding children’s access to books and helping to break the cycle of poverty
Meanwhile, Sumitomo Corporation Africa has been supporting SAPESI, an NPO that runs a mobile library project in partnership with the South African government, since 2009. The project uses vehicles loaded with books to bring reading opportunities to children in impoverished areas who have little access to books. In October 2025, this effort resulted in the donation of picture books and children’s books to help these children become more familiar with reading.
According to SAPESI staff, “There is always a need for picture books. Most of the 230 books donated this time were in English. South Africa has 12 official languages, and students learn in their local language until third grade, then switch to English from fourth grade. English is a major hurdle for many children, so picture books provide an enjoyable way for them to learn the language.” This donation not only supports education but also contributes to efforts to break the cycle of poverty.
Comments from employees involved
Supporting efforts that turn employees’ goodwill into action
Donating picture books and children’s books is not difficult in itself, but creating a system to collect them across the Middle East and Africa and deliver them to regions with unstable political conditions and underdeveloped educational infrastructure proved challenging.
What left a particular impression was how many more books were collected than expected and how many employees, including locally hired drivers, volunteered to help catalog and repair the donations. Watching them cheerfully attach donation stickers to the books made us realize once again the initiative’s significance, turning employees’ goodwill into tangible social impact.
Going forward, we will continue to explore hands-on social contribution activities like this book donation project. By responding to local needs and avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach, we aim to support employees’ desire to contribute in sustainable ways.
Koji Shirotani (Sumitomo Corporation Baghdad Liaison Office・Erbil Liaison Office)
Natsu Hashimoto, Yoko Kanazawa, Kota Araya (Planning & Coordination Dept., Sumitomo Corporation Middle East FZE)
Toshiki Arita (Corporate Dept., Sumitomo Corporation Africa Pty Limited)
Related information
Book Donation/ Wisdom Delivery Project
Supporting Understaffed Inner-City Schools through Events and Donations
