For schools

If your library is locked, bare, or was never built, this page is for you.

We refurbish school libraries in Lagos at no cost to the school. There is no fee, no catch, and no requirement to have anything in place already. Applying takes about ten minutes.

Start the applicationCheck if we can help

Who can apply

Under-resourced schools in Lagos.

We start with a small first cohort in Lagos, so we can do each library properly.

Applications from outside Lagos are still worth making. They tell us where to go next.

  • You can apply if your school is

    • A public (government) primary or secondary school
    • A low-fee private school serving an under-resourced community
    • A community-run school
    • Located in Lagos State — other areas, still apply

  • You do not need

    None of these count against an application.

    • An existing library room — we plan for schools that have none
    • Any books already on hand
    • A budget, a contribution, or matched funding
    • A formal proposal or letter — this form is enough

  • We ask the school for two things

    This is the whole of our side of the bargain.

    • A member of staff who will take responsibility for the library, whom we train
    • Timetabled reading periods, so the room is used and not just admired

What we provide

The whole library, not a box of books.

Selected schools receive all five components. We fund the work, and we come back afterwards.

  • 01

    The space

    A room fit to read in.

  • 02

    The furniture

    Built locally, repairable locally.

  • 03

    The collection

    Books children want to read.

  • 04

    The systems

    A catalogue the school can keep.

  • 05

    The people

    A trained adult, and time to read.

What it looks like

What a finished library looks like.

This is the standard we refurbish to.

Illustrated for now. We will show the real rooms, with each school's written consent, once the first is open.

1 / 4

How the process works

Four steps, and we reply either way.

We know what it is like to send an application into silence. We answer every school that applies, including the ones we cannot take on — and where we can, we say why.

  1. 01

    You apply

    Using the form on this page. It takes about ten minutes. You do not need to prepare anything in advance.

  2. 02

    We review

    Every application is read by a person and assessed against need and eligibility. We aim to respond within three weeks.

  3. 03

    We visit and verify

    For applications we take forward, we arrange a visit to see the space and talk to you about what the school needs.

  4. 04

    Selected schools are notified

    We contact you directly with a decision and, if selected, a timeline. We reply either way, including when the answer is no.

Questions

What head teachers usually ask.

Which schools can apply?
Under-resourced public (government), low-fee private and community schools in Lagos State. Schools elsewhere in Nigeria are still welcome to apply — it tells us where to go next.
Does it cost the school anything?
No. AVID funds the room repairs, the furniture, the books, the cataloguing systems and the staff training. There is no fee, no contribution and no matched funding.
What if we have no library room at all?
You can still apply. We plan for schools that have no dedicated space, and finding the room is part of the work we do with you.
What do we have to provide?
Two things: a member of staff who will take responsibility for the library, whom we train, and timetabled reading periods so the room is used rather than admired.
How long does the application take?
About ten minutes. Fifteen questions, five of them optional. You do not need to prepare anything in advance.
How long until we hear back?
We aim to reply within three weeks. We answer every school that applies, including the ones we cannot take on, and where we can we say why.
Do we need to send photographs?
They are optional but they genuinely strengthen an application, because we can see what we would be working with. Email them separately after you send the form.
Who chooses the books?
You do, with us. Selections are made with your teachers, weighted towards Nigerian and African authors alongside international titles, including work in Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa.

The application

Apply for a library

Fifteen questions, five of them optional. Answer as briefly as you like — we would rather have a short honest application than a polished one. If you would prefer to send it by email instead, write to applications@theavidfoundation.org.

The school

Please give the school's name.

Please give the school's address.

Please choose the type of school.

Please give an approximate number of pupils.

Who we should speak to

Please give a contact name.

Please give this person's role.

Please give an email address we can reply to, in the form name@example.com.

Please give a phone number we can reach you on.

The library space

Please choose one of these.

Please give an estimated number of pupils.

Your application

Please tell us a little about why you are applying — at least a sentence or two.

Greatest need (optional)Choose as many as apply.

Photos of the current space

Photographs genuinely strengthen an application — they let us see what we would be working with. Send two or three by email to applications@theavidfoundation.org after you send this form, and mention your school's name.

Phone photos are perfect. Please avoid photographs that identify individual children.

Consent

Applying does not guarantee selection. The AVID Foundation will use the information you provide solely to assess and administer library projects, and will store it securely. We will not share it with third parties except as needed to deliver the programme.

Our privacy policy sets out how long we keep applications and how to ask us to delete yours.

Please confirm you agree, so we can process your application.

We reply to every application, including the ones we cannot take on.