The Philippines—in a forested area of Camarines Norte lies the tiny village of Maisog. It’s a small rural community, having a township of farmers whose main source of income is agriculture. There you can see children; innocent kids who help out their parents keep the yard while the hope of getting quality education remains a distant reality.

At the same time in Hawaii, a local fund-raising book sale was in full blast. Shoppers eagerly browsed through piles of used books, looking for a good read at an inexpensive price. Academic, fictional, biographical books loitered the hall—all waiting for an avid reader to pick it up and bring home.

It’s no coincidence that these two realities were connected.

Last July, Vertaccount, in collaboration with The Maisog Watershed Initiative (MWI) and Friends of the Library of Hawaii (FLH), made this connection. In an aim to provide charitable work, Vertaccount helped donate books to the residents of Maisog. Unsold books coming from FLH’s book sale has been sorted, packed, flown, and delivered to the community in Maisog, Camarines Norte in support MWI’s grassroots development program.