MS Features: Maxwell bookstore raises over S$50,000 for children’s education in Nepal
“I have this mantra of doing one thing that scares me every single year,” said 33-year-old Randall Chong, the founder of Books Beyond Borders.
The story behind the quaint bookstore tucked in Maxwell is full of heart, and it all started in 2018 when Randall — then 26 years old — embarked on a solo trek to the Everest Base Camp. No porters, no guides, and no prior hiking experience.
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” said the 33-year-old, who chuckled at his choice of a first-hike destination.
However, this trek through Nepal would change the course of his life, as he witnessed children, especially young girls, working in backbreaking jobs for little pay instead of being in school.
The sight moved Randall, who wanted to do something to help them.
Humble origins in his own bedroom
Once he returned to Singapore, he left his job at a tech startup and decided to spend one year raising money for the children.
“Back then, I was kind of having a quarter-life crisis. I didn’t really enjoy what I was doing, so it was easy for me to leave [my] job. I just needed an excuse,” said Randall to MS News.
Randall claimed that others perceived him negatively at first. Several neighbours would even ask his parents why he quit to do a ‘karang guni’ job.
His social enterprise bookstore, Books Beyond Borders, had as humble an origin as one can have. Randall first started collecting used books to sell for money in his own small room.
Soon, he met his first investor — his grandfather — who let him use a spare bedroom. He then moved on to several different warehouses.
Years later, Randall opened The Bookstore by Books Beyond Borders in a Maxwell shophouse.
Shophouse bookstore raised funds for classrooms & teacher training
Now, the Bookstore is a cosy little shop with several shelves lined with, but not packed full of, donated books of all genres.
With 5% of its sales going towards helping provide better education access for children in Nepal, Books Beyond Borders has raised over S$50,000 for classrooms, school libraries, and teacher training programmes.
Additionally, three Nepalese girls are on a two-year full scholarship programme which kicked off in 2023.
Randall shared that he had no intention of starting a scholarship programme in the early days of Books Beyond Borders.
However, he would experience a “full circle” moment soon after selecting the scholarship’s first few recipients.
Bookstore funds provide education for girl founder met in Nepal
Randall told a story of meeting locals in a rural Nepalese village called Parsa in 2019.
He came across a very shy girl playing in a field and had the chance to talk to her father. When asked about his dream for her, the father said he wished she could complete secondary school and lead an independent life.
“Fast-forward to 2023, when we launched our first girls’ scholarship programme, we unknowingly selected her,” explained Randall.
“It could have been anybody, but it turned out to be her, her village, and her family.”
Now about to complete her Grade 12 education, the girl had grown far more confident and spoke much better English.
Randall explained that Books Beyond Borders, similar to any other small business in Singapore, faces challenges like struggling to pay rent.
However, keeping in touch with and checking up on his beneficiaries keeps him going.
“When I get to meet the girls, the scholars, and the people we impacted in very small ways, it reminds me of why we’re doing this,” he said.
Parents initially assumed social enterprise was a ‘phase’
Randall considered himself lucky to have friends and family who’ve supported him in the journey.
Though his parents initially felt unsure about the direction he was going and assumed it was a phase in between jobs, they are now “huge advocates” of his work.
“Until today, I still think it’s so surprising that we’re even here,” he said, adding that even his old regular customers didn’t expect the bookstore to be sustainable.
And, perhaps, it wouldn’t have been without the other products on sale.
Artisan women in Nepal hand-make unique wool toys for sale
Through their sister brand Two Storytellers, Books Beyond Borders works with over 50 artisan women in Nepal to make handcrafted gifts, giving them jobs and a sustainable income.
In doing so, Randall hoped that these mothers were more likely to keep their children in school rather than sending them off to work.
He showed off their creations, which included glass jars filled with charming wool toys, all expertly felted by hand.
On a shelf beside them, more complex animal toys were kept in glass cases — “Tiny Companions”, as Randall called them.
He estimated that each product took weeks to make, as the artisans had to take time to dye the wool and get the colours right.
Even the Christmas decorations in the bookstore are the handiwork of the Nepalese women.
Books Beyond Borders also hires paper artisans, who work with creating lokta paper by hand.
The women turn them into items such as bookmarks or the pages of the bookstore’s wool journals.
All these products have gone a long way in helping to keep The Bookstore afloat.
Books Beyond Borders shares stories of small business owners in Singapore
Unsurprisingly, Randall — as a young and technologically savvy business owner — has used social media platforms such as TikTok to promote his store.
However, he has recently taken things a step further by spotlighting other local small businesses.
Source: @booksbeyondborders on TikTok
“It started off being a really accidental project,” said Randall.
“I saw a little coffee store below my office and decided to just go up to [the owner] and ask him about his story.”
Of all the people he has spoken to, a couple who created a home-based sandwich business called B•WITCHED still remains one of the most touching tales.
Both had received diagnoses for kidney failure and fought through challenges to build their brand together.
Source: @booksbeyondborders on TikTok
Impressed by their resilience, Randall felt it was all the more important to share their story with others.
“Great stories don’t just lie in books, they also lie in people,” he explained.
Bookstore owner proud even if he only changes 1 life in Nepal
“I used to have very big and lofty goals — we want to get to change thousands and thousands of lives, and put more kids to school,” Randall said when asked about the impact he hoped to have in Nepal.
But Books Beyond Borders is a small brand, and he realised the pressure of chasing such high numbers took the joy out of what he was doing.
Currently, Randall doesn’t have hard numbers he hopes to achieve.
He just intends to keep running his small business for as long as possible, sending more girls to school and keeping more women employed.
“Even if we get to change just one life or put one girl through school, knowing that we’ve tried our best would be something I’m very proud of.”
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Photography by Aleena Jaison for MS News.
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