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Grace Community Outreach (GCO), a nongovernmental organization, has donated books worth GHC 480,000 to 10 community libraries in the Shama District of the Western Region. The 800 boxes of books, will be distributed to eight GCO established community libraries which include, Yabiw, Inchaban, Esoko Essaman, Konfeku, Dwomo, Ituma, Nyankrom and Nkwanta-Kesse community libraries and two already existing libraries in the Shama, and Aboadze communities. The donated books cover a wide area of study such as Religion, Information Communication Technology (ICT), History, Science, Literature as well as motivational and inspirational books from bestselling American authors. Speaking at an event held to officially handover the books to the district, the Country Director of Grace Community Outreach, Reverend Stephen K. Fosu said the purpose of donating the books was to provide the communities with reading materials that could enhance their educational development. He said GCO had established eight libraries in the district and that plans were underway to establish 10 more libraries in the other communities in the district which would be stocked with books upon completion. He said GCO was committed to creating educational and social development opportunities for children in selected deprived communities in the country. This, he said would be achieved by offering community focused programmes which included the establishment of community based libraries. He expressed his gratitude to the management of Lower Pra Rural Bank for paying for the clearance of the books from the port. In his speech at the event, the Chairman of the Board Of Directors of Lower Pra Rural Bank, Mr. Nathaniel Arthur, said the bank was grateful to had played a role that aided in the successful donation of books to the communities. He said the bank treated the payment for the clearance of the books as part of its corporate social responsibilities which was aimed at improving the lives of the people in the communities within which the bank operated. Speaking on the benefits of reading, the Board Chairman said it had been established that knowledgeable people read a lot and that reading was an activity of getting info. He said reading would help a person achieve personal development, adding, �There is no substitute for reading and that an informed person is not easily deceived.� He said there was a growing concern about the falling standards of English language in the country�s educational system and that there was the need to do more to salvage the situation. Receiving the books on behalf of the district, the District Chief Executive of Shama, Mr. Enoch Kodjoe Appiah expressed his gratitude to GCO and Lower Pra Rural Bank for their collaborative effort of donating the books to the communities. He assured the GCO that the books would be put to its rightful use and that measures would be put in place to provide maximum care for the books as well as avoid pilfering. GCO is a Ghanaian based nongovernmental organization committed to improving on educational standards and Christian teachings in communities in the country.