Wattpad & Internet.org: Bringing reading to the world
One of the coolest parts of working at Wattpad is hearing about how reading can change the lives of Wattpadders. We often hear about Wattpadders rediscovering a lost love for reading when they find the right kind of story on Wattpad. The experiences that move us most are the ones about people turning to Wattpad in parts of the world where books are either hard to find or too expensive to afford.
CEO and Co-Founder Allen Lau recalls a letter he once received from a man in a village in Africa. The village had no library, no school, no landline, and no books. What people in that village did have, however, were mobile phones. The letter was sent to say thank you - Wattpad made it possible for them to read and share stories.
These stories are what made us jump at the opportunity to partner with Internet.org, a Facebook-led coalition that is making the benefits of the internet more accessible and affordable to more people around the world. As part of this initiative, Wattpad is proud to be sharing a collection of classic and public domain books via Facebook’s Internet.org app, which will be available to Airtel subscribers in Kenya later this week.
Facebook’s Internet.org app offers free basic services including health, education, finance, jobs, communication, local information, and books.