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Founded in 1969, Sabre Foundation works to build free institutions and to examine the ideals that sustain them. Its largest project makes millions of dollars' worth of donated books available to needy individuals in developing and transitional societies worldwide through non-governmental partner organizations, libraries, universities, schools, research organizations, and other similar institutions.

Description:
Humanitarian Aid for the Mind

Many fine charitable organizations attend to humanitarian needs associated with displacement and hunger. What is often lacking is the foresight to provide humanitarian aid for the mind: support for the educational infrastructure vital to countries either in conflict, or in transition. Education must surely be the long-term key not only to ensuring localized stability and prosperity, but also to peaceful co-existence and understanding between nations. The health and vitality of any community in today’s world depends increasingly on the capacity of its people to receive, discover and communicate knowledge. To respond to that need, Sabre Foundation offers a creative but highly practical way to assist where access to learning, for one reason or another, has been inhibited.

The Book Donation Program began in 1986 with a shipment of much-needed new text and reference books to assist doctors, teachers, students and researchers in Poland. It soon expanded to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, and later to the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The program has been built on the generosity of scores of U.S. and European publishers, who have donated large quantities of new educational materials on a wide range of subjects. The books are ordered and distributed by Sabre’s non-governmental organization (NGO) partners abroad. Through 2006, well over 7 million books, CD-ROMs and other educational materials, valued at over $200 million, have been sent to over 80 countries. In 2006 alone, Sabre provided over $21 million worth of books on a budget of approximately $1 million.

History:
Sabre Foundation was started in 1969, with no endowment, by a small group of recent
university graduates. They shared an interest in the philosophical underpinnings of free institutions
in society, and a commitment to try to strengthen them in innovative ways.

The health and vitality of any community in today's world depends increasingly on the
capacity of its people to receive, discover and communicate knowledge. That principle has
guided Sabre's three lines of work in recent years: book donations, information technology
training, and philosophical studies.

Contact people:

Leslie Marsh, Program Development Officer, (phone), (email) Tania Vitvitsky, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Colin McCullough, Book Donation Program Manager , (phone), (email)

Address:

872 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 2-1 Cambridge, MA 02139 (See a map)

Directions:

From Central Square walk on left of Mass Avenue towards Harvard Square, past post office. Nearest cross-street is Lee St. 872 Mass Ave right next to People's Republic bar.   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Central Square,   Walk distance (in minutes): 2   Nearest Bus Stop: Cambridge City Hall, 2 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com