Sophia Danielson’s journey into the world of entrepreneurial social impact did not begin within the confines of a business plan, but in the heart of displacement and refugee camps. Although she spent her childhood in Cape Town, South Africa, Danielson adopted a life of nomadism. After high school, at the age of 18, Danielson moved to Thailand and took a job teaching English to Burmese migrants in 2015. Near her home, she found a small Rohingya refugee camp, victims of trafficking that also sought education. With little to no knowledge or understanding of their culture, Danielson struggled to find relatable materials that the people would find interesting.
“My biggest frustration was just seeing that the children didn’t have materials that were more accessible to them and relatable to them,” Danielson said. “I realized maybe we [should have] books or materials that were relatable to them…their own food, and their own clothing.”
This realization led to the idea for Books Unbound, a social enterprise rooted in the idea that education should be culturally inclusive. She created her first prototype, cartoon flashcards representing Rohingya culture.
“It was like night and day. Instantly, the women…suddenly wanted to be part of my class as well,” Danielson said. “They just seemed a lot more excited to learn, because they were learning from something that was more relatable for them for the first time ever.”
Three years later in Bangladesh, reuniting with her Rohingya friends inspired her to start her social enterprise. Books Unbound was officially established with the release of their first pilot product: a picture dictionary, a culturally sensitive tool for education, trauma-healing, integration, preservation of language and culture, accessible across literacy levels and settings.
“I remember the moment when all the kids started opening up the books. They looked at the pages and all the cartoons that were designed to look like them, and the whole classroom just erupted in laughter,” Danielson detailed. “Everyone’s giggling, smiling, showing each other the pages, and pointing to pictures. They were showing the teacher and saying things like, ‘Oh, this looks like me,’ or ‘This looks like my mom.’”
This powerful moment of recognition and appreciation, spurred Danielson to spread awareness of her idea through speaking engagements and crowdfunding. She continued to work, undeterred by the lack of funding towards refugee education.
“It’s very challenging to get your foot in the door, get your name out there, [and] try to prove that your products are viable,” Danielson said. “The biggest thing I’ve been doing to gain more of a reputation is getting as much feedback from users and doing as many trainings with our books as possible. But it’s still a struggle.”
Unfortunately, this was far from the last of her struggles. After years of working with refugees and migrants in Thailand and Bangladesh, the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Danielson was sent back to the states to work remotely.
“I was in Bangladesh [working] for the UN as an international consultant when COVID hit…Within 12 hours, I had to decide if I was going to stay in Bangladesh or go back to the States.” Danielson explained. “If COVID didn’t happen, I was planning on renewing a contract with the UN…consulting for larger organizations, and that’s a very different type of humanitarian work than what I eventually got into.”
Although the pandemic disrupted her path, she took that chance to build her social enterprise and expand the reach of Books Unbound. She began designing materials for refugees coming to the US.
“That’s when my social enterprise started picking up and making profits. I realized there are a lot of school districts and organizations…that have funding in the US,” Danielson said. “I would sell my books in the US…and then [with] profits I had, I would make donations, print and distribute materials to independent teachers in refugee camps.”
With these profits, Danielson envisions Books Unbound spreading and adapting material to communities all over the world. For the long-term she hopes to see her products used in schools globally, while continuing to encourage self-learning in places with limited access to education.
“My end goal is to give people additional resources and transform the way we see education and refugee camps.” Danielson said. “The plan is to encourage more self-learning in places where they don’t have access to the classroom.”
Sophia Danielson’s vision for Books Unbound continues to grow, aiming to reshape educational resources in refugee communities worldwide. By bridging cultural gaps and offering relatable materials, she hopes to expand the reaches of inclusive education and empower marginalized communities around the world.
