Bags of Hope is a charitable initiative founded in 2023 by Mia Wilson, a student from Caterham, Surrey. The project is built on a simple but powerful idea: that something as ordinary as a school bag can make an extraordinary difference to a child’s access to education.

Across many low-income communities, children’s ability to attend school is limited not by willingness to learn, but by a lack of basic materials and the challenges of travel.

In sub-Saharan Africa, children walk an average of 3–5 kilometres each way to school, often carrying books in their hands, in cardboard boxes, or with no protection at all. In some rural areas, this daily journey can be even longer. For many, the absence of a durable school bag becomes a real barrier to consistent attendance and learning.

Bags of Hope works to bridge this gap by redistributing preloved school bags from the UK to children from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping them carry their learning safely, with dignity and pride.

Our Story

The idea behind Bags of Hope began as an environmental concern. Like many young people, Mia looked forward to a new school bag each academic year. Yet these bags were often still in excellent condition—set aside simply because they were no longer fashionable or age-appropriate.

While volunteering at her local Brownie unit, conversations with families revealed the sheer volume of unused school bags sitting forgotten in cupboards and drawers. At the same time, Mia was learning about communities where children travelled kilometres to school with no bag at all—sometimes using cardboard boxes to protect their books from dust and rain.

Through research and partnership, this contrast sparked action.

Mia connected with the Amara Charitable Trust, an organisation working to empower children in rural Nairobi through improved educational access and vocational opportunities. Trustees shared firsthand insights, images, and data showing children walking long distances—often 3–5 km each way—with minimal resources.

With logistical guidance from Amara, Bags of Hope began taking shape.

Back in the UK, Mia approached the Rotary Club of Caterham, After pitching the idea to the Rotary’s youth division, the project received vital support, helping Bags of Hope take its first steps towards collecting and distributing preloved school bags.

Today, Bags of Hope stands for sustainability, dignity, and opportunity—proving that small, thoughtful actions can carry hope a long way.