Beatriz De Oliveira

San Diego, CA | 16

2019 Award Recipient

Being a lifelong lover of literature, Beatriz De Oliveira was taken aback. She had assumed the daycares, or creches, in her hometown of Campinas, Brazil would be full of books. It wasn’t until she arrived, dropping off the box of toys she was donating, that she saw she was wrong. There weren’t any books. Speaking with a staff member, Beatriz learned that most creches were funded by the government and could only afford the barest of necessities. Books for a Change was Beatriz’s response. Books for a Change collects and donates books to daycares around the world. To date, Beatriz and her organization have worked to serve over 10,000 children, giving them access to the life changing power of books. Additionally, she is developing a curriculum for daycare instructors to teach the importance of and to foster a lifelong passion for reading.