School in a Bag

School in a Bag provide bright red rucksacks full of essential resources that enable poor, orphan, vulnerable and disaster affected children worldwide to write, draw, colour, calculate, express themselves, eat, drink, wash and above all, learn.

A typical SchoolBag contains: 12 pencils, 10 biro pens, 12 colouring pencils, a maths set, ruler, pencil case, 6 exercise books (line/square/plain), a water bottle, a LunchBox with a Spork and a hygiene pack comprising toothbrush, toothpaste, flannel, soap and washable facemask. Some SchoolBags also contain a Lifestraw providing access to 1000 gallons of safe drinking water.

Our first SchoolBags were distributed in Swaziland in 2009 and since then, over 122,000 bags have been delivered in 47 countries, giving the gift of education to some of the poorest and most disadvantaged children around the world.

We have two delivery mechanisms to get SchoolBags to those who are most in need. We either source and pack them in the UK and ship them directly to the area of need for one of our partners to deliver to recipients; or, we work directly with our partners in the field through our ‘in-country’ model, helping them to source and pack goods obtained locally to our requirements. 

Our ‘in-country’ model is particularly effective at getting SchoolBags into more difficult areas where traditional shipping and distribution routes are not available. It also enables us to develop strong relationships with our partners who source the supplies and to invest in the local economy. 

Each SchoolBag has a unique identifier number which enables complete transparency for the donor. When a SchoolBag is funded the donor is given a unique number which is placed in a special slot on the bag, and they can then track its journey to the final recipient via our website. 

Whether it is a UK packed or ‘in-country’ funded SchoolBag, each donor receives details of who has received the bag and where in the world they are, plus a photo of the child with their SchoolBag. 

Our SchoolBags provide children with essential learning tools, enabling them to obtain an education and a chance of a life out of poverty.  Our water bottle and lunchboxes allow them to access water and food, improving their health and ability to learn. Our hygiene kits help them keep safe in these unprecedented times and our Lifestraws provide safe drinking eater which can ultimately save their life.