As a continuation of the pilot project in 2013, Aschiana applied for the fund again in 2014 for their mobile library program. The continued program is primarily intended as a long-term reading program for a conflict/post conflict situation, and the beneficiaries are children living in refugee camps. Because they already implemented it in 2013 as a pilot project, the training was a short refresher course for staff members who already worked on the previous project. This allowed for less time training and more time for the program.

The project provides training for 3 library assistants, 6 reading assistants and 3 storytellers, and will fund a mobile library in each of the 3 cities. Books had already been procured in 2013, but more were ordered for this program as they had many more children than expected using the mobile libraries. After the training phase, vehicles were hired for 5 months for the implementation of phase two.

The project was run in 10 refugee camps in Kabul, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif provinces. Each mobile library team consisted of 1 library assistant, 2 reading assistants and 1 storyteller. The mobile libraries ran for 5 months reaching thousands of children and parents.

“Tell Me a Story” is an early childhood literacy intervention that targets children and families living in poverty and/or are displaced due to conflict. The mission of the project is to influence home factors in the early childhood years in order to make books a part of every family’s regular routine. “Tell me a Story” adopts a three pronged approach to intervention: 1) leveraging the perceived expertise of healthcare professionals by making them the primary channel of book distribution and advice dissemination 2) modeling interactive storytelling by hosting reading sessions and workshops at clinics 3) ensuring access to quality books through the establishment of mobile libraries. The project is a collaborative effort between The Lebanese Board on Books for Young People and the initiative “ReadingStart.”

They have leveraged the perceived expertise of healthcare professionals by partnering with clinics that cater to populations living in poverty. At each partner clinic, a primary healthcare professional such as a doctor or nurse practitioner will be enlisted to distribute book packs to families with at least one child under the age of three. The point of contact between the healthcare professional and the family will be at a child’s regular vaccine visit. This allows the practitioner a few moments to advise parents on the importance of making books a part of a child’s regular routine. Healthcare professionals will attend a “Tell Me a Story” training session that introduces them to the project and provides them with talking points to get the conversation going with parents. Modeling interactive storytelling will be accomplished through two sets of activities: First, by hosting storytelling sessions in the clinic waiting room where dedicated readers will read books aloud with children several times a week; And second, by hosting story telling workshops with mothers twice a month. The workshops are intended to introduce the importance of books in the early childhood years and also to overcome the anxiety of text that illiterate and functionally literate mothers might face when told to “read” with their children. The workshop highlights techniques a mother might use to tell a story using imagery rather than words. Because access to quality books is a problem in impoverished neighborhoods, they plan to tackle this issue not only through book distribution but also through the provision of mobile libraries. They will provide mobile libraries in clinics where mothers go daily with their children. The libraries will be manned by a dedicated reader who will read stories to the children that are waiting with their parents for their appointment with a doctor. This person will also look after the books to ensure they are used well and are properly maintained. They plan to partner with two clinics over the course of eighteen months. At each clinic, they hope to reach 750 families, therefore distributing a total of 1500 book packs containing two books each.

In poor deprived areas of Tunisia, children have limited or no access to books. Furthermore, there are no books in Tunisia for blind children. These children have a right to have books; they will give them dignity and joy. Having books will help blind children integrate socially. It will help parents feel inspired to offer their blind children a new way to “see” the world. Autistic centers as well are not equipped with books that can be read to or by autistic children. Books can fill their lives with joy, creativity, knowledge, liveliness, and can give them positive perspectives. Sometimes books can even help them to overcome traumatic experiences. But to make the situation worse, parents are not well-equipped with the skills that make them deal efficiently with their children in terms of promoting reading and listening skills. That’s where BOOK BOXES comes in.

BOOK BOXES, operating in the governorates of Sfax and Bizerte, is a project with three main elements: providing book boxes for children, activity booklets, and doing workshops for teachers, advisors, librarians, volunteers, and parents. Each book box will be filled with 150 good quality children books that answer the need of the children’s age and category. There will be four boxes given to schools in deprived areas, two boxes to autistic centers, and two boxes for blind and partially sighted centers that will be made within the framework of the project. Additionally, each book box will contain materials for creative activities (finger- and hand dolls, colored pencils, colored paper, carton, decoration materials, masks etc.). The book box will make children curious; what treasures are inside? It becomes an adventure for them to discover the books inside of the box that attract them under the guidance of one school teacher/ librarian trained for the follow-up.

Through playful and creative activities in connection with the right books, the effects of books can be increased and enlarged. Children can express their emotions, boost their own capacities, improve their knowledge in a deeper way, develop their creativity, improve their understanding of different cultures, and even help themselves in their physical or psychological healing processes. In order to support children in all of this, advisors, teachers, volunteers and librarians living in the target regions have to be familiar with storytelling, writing methods, and modern reading promotion activities. Therefore, they have to be trained in workshops on how to encourage children to bring out their imagination and creativity in connection with the books. This can be achieved by getting in touch with the ancient tradition of storytelling and by learning how to write stories. For blind and partially sighted centers, additional workshops will be carried out to make special braille books with tactile interactive illustrations. These books will constitute the content of book boxes offered to these centers.

Therefore, special workshops will take place in each location for all people getting involved in the project. Parents especially will be invited to take part in the BOOK BOX project as volunteers. They will spread their experiences to other parents and will start reading to their children at home as well. Books will then, hopefully, become a part and parcel of family life.

Many IBBY members are unable to attend the IBBY World Congresses because of 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.

With the support of the Sharjah/IBBY Fund selected participants were invited to attend the whole Congress and attend the IBBY General Assembly. A special meeting of IBBY representatives – The Open Forum – was scheduled and took place during the afternoon of Thursday, 11 September. Within this time frame a CANA Regional Meeting also took place where an exchange of experience and problems were discussed and solutions sought.

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

The participants who received support were: