“Read with me” is a project designed to provide suitable and quality books for underprivileged Iranian children, including street/working children, children living in remote areas, and children at risk in general. “Read with me” is also designed to empower and encourage teachers, librarians, volunteers, etc. through training workshops, handbooks, and guidelines.

While training workshops are planned as part of the project, “Read with me” is namely considered a “distance” training and implementation program; books and training materials are sent to the locations by mail. The selection of books is made by experts of children’s literature, with reference to the list of suitable books prepared by the Children’s Book Council of Iran (CHCI), and with referring to the book promotion website, Ketabak.org. The books are then put in a canvas bag along with CD and paper handbooks for teachers. These handbooks provide suggestions to families and teachers as to how they can make reading an ongoing daily habit for children and young adults.

The funds provided allowed the project to expand its reach to the South of Khorasan. Accompanied by two representatives from the Yavari Society—a nongovernmental charity organization that has built numerous schools in deprived parts of this region—the project held a meeting with authorities in Nehbandan, the center of a very deprived area in this region near the Afghan border. This meeting was to explain the project and convince them to allow this program in some of the kindergartens in remote and deprived villages.

Ten kindergartens in ten villages in Ghaaenat and a further eleven kindergartens in eleven villages in Nehbandan have been targeted, reaching a total of 525 children

Many IBBY members are unable to attend the IBBY World Congresses due to a lack of financial support.  Without this participation many members find themselves working in a vacuum and cannot benefit from the exchange and discourse that an IBBY World Congress can offer.

Sponsored by the Sharjah/IBBY Fund selected participants were invited to attend the World Congress and attend the IBBY General Assembly.  A special meeting of representatives from the region was scheduled to take place at the Congress on Friday, 24 August.  During this meeting exchange of experience, special needs and problems were discussed and solutions sought. The session was led by IBBY members of the Executive Committee who are familiar with the region.

The meeting was a prelude to prepare for a full meeting planned to be held in Sharjah in 2013.  The participants were canvased for their views and ideas for content for the future meeting.

The invitation was for the duration of the Congress and covered the registration, transportation and accommodation costs for the participants.

 

Invited participants were from:

The Sharjah/IBBY Fund presented IBBY Palestine a serious opportunity to sustain and renovate two children’s libraries in Gaza, which are vital for the extremely deprived and traumatized Palestinian children.

Al- Shawka and Al-‘Ataa libraries are situated in dangerous and marginalized areas—Rafah and Beit Hanoun, in Gaza. Despite their humble means, they play an important role in the lives of people living there, especially children who severely suffer from Israeli aggressions, occupation and ruthless siege. The library is their haven and their only outlet for pleasure.

The two libraries, which are hosted by two community-based organizations, provide books, encourage the reading habit, and implement different activities. All of these help develop young people’s reading skills, knowledge, expose them to other cultures and refine their talents. Bibliotherapy and psycho-social activities are employed as helpful tools to release the trauma and stress endured by the children as a result of their inhuman, oppressive situation.

These libraries hold a variety of activities implemented by librarians. Activities vary from drama, theatre, illustrations, handcrafts, storytelling and story discussions, creative writing, entertaining and cultural activities, educational competitions, and outdoor activities. Moreover, a writer and an artist give training workshops for children in creative writing and illustrations to enhance their abilities and talents. The diversity of these activities is based on the objective of widening the scope of knowledge of children by introducing them to the environment surrounding them.

This project, through the implementation of a comprehensive schedule of activities, aimed to leverage the library’s influence to have a positive educational, cultural, psychological and social effect on the children, librarians, and parents. The activities that were presented were diverse in purpose and style. With guidance and counselling they helped the children make the best use of their free time in developing and promoting their skills and talents.

Eighteen separate activities that were attended by 441 children were held at the Al-Ataa’ Library and the Rural Women Development Library, Al-Shawka. An additional 32 collective hours of training were given in drawing, drama, illustration, and creative writing.