The Californer - Akiti the Hunter Launches Mission to Deliver One Million Books to One Million Children Worldwide

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Author Bolaji Ajayi and BAPS Animation Studio expand global book distribution through with the African Library Project, Book Aid International, and the Ajayi Foundation

SAN FRANCISCO - Californer -- DANVILLE, Calif. — Bolaji Ajayi, author of the bestselling children's book series Akiti the Hunter — recognized as the first African superhero series in U.S. children's literature — has announced an ongoing mission to deliver one million books to one million children around the world, with the goal of empowering young readers to overcome childhood illiteracy and break cycles of poverty.

The initiative builds on Akiti the Hunter's growing footprint in libraries and classrooms across the United States and abroad. The series, rooted in Yoruba mythology and Afrofuturist storytelling, has become an Amazon Top 5 Bestseller in its category and was selected for California's statewide Indie California digital library collection. It is currently held in the San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose public library systems, with additional titles under review at libraries throughout the Bay Area.

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To advance the mission internationally, Bolaji Ajayi has committed her ongoing support for the African Library Project, which builds libraries in rural communities across Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, and Uganda, and Book Aid International, a UK-based charity that has delivered books to readers in dozens of countries across Africa and beyond. Recent shipments include complete sets of the three-part Akiti the Hunter series sent to both organizations for distribution to children who might otherwise have little or no access to books.

Bolaji Ajayi is also collaborating with the Ajayi Foundation to donate and distribute Akiti the Hunter-themed coloring books to children in underserved communities in Lagos, Nigeria — extending access to children in one of the author's ancestral communities.

"Literacy is one of the clearest paths a child has out of poverty," said Bolaji Ajayi. "Every book we place in a child's hands is a chance to change the trajectory of their life. This mission is about making sure children — regardless of where they're born — have access to stories that both entertain them and remind them of their own power."

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The push toward one million books comes as Bolaji Ajayi and BAPS Animation Studio also work to expand the Akiti the Hunter universe into animation through the upcoming series Rise of the Hunter, extending the franchise's reach and its literacy mission to new audiences.

How Individuals Can Support:

African Library Project —donate at https://africanlibraryproject.org/donate
Book Aid International —donate at https://bookaid.org/donate
Ajayi Foundation —donate at https://ajayifoundation.org/donate

Every contribution helps fund the shipping, distribution, and library-building work that puts books directly into the hands of children who might otherwise have little or no access to them.