Thanks to the support of our friends, it is possible to support various reading promotion projects at home and abroad.
Previously, IBBY-Netherlands supported projects in Suriname, Latvia, Indonesia, Uruguay, Haiti, South Africa, India, the Moluccas, Gaza and the Netherlands. In 2020 and 2021, IBBY donated to the projects described below. The photos at the top of the page are from the pop-up branch of the Library of Dreams in El Salvador.
In 2021, IBBY-Netherlands contributed to the following projects:
IBBY libraries in Gaza
In 2021, IBBY-Netherlands made a financial contribution to the two IBBY libraries in Gaza. These libraries are an important place for Palestinian children to go. They are places where children feel safe, where they can participate in activities, read a book in peace and meet other children. The libraries were badly damaged by the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Thanks to the friends of IBBY, a contribution could be made to renovate the libraries.
This fundraiser was set up by the IBBY Children in Crisis Fund , which supports projects for children in areas affected by war, conflict or natural disasters. The Children in Crisis Fund supports, among other things, the use of bibliotherapy, the creation or replacement of collections and projects that introduce children in disaster areas to books.
YA books for the FLOW-O-THEEK
During the friends afternoon on October 29, 2021, IBBY donated three boxes of Young Adult books to the FLOW-O-THEEK of urban cultural center FLOW in Rotterdam. Initiator and spoken word artist YMP wants to bring young people from Rotterdam South into contact with books more often in their free time and thus encourage them to read more.
The on-site library was launched in the summer of 2021. This was done in collaboration with the Rotterdam Library, which donated a collection of titles for young people to the FLOW library. The collection consists of books about role models, social issues, creativity and entrepreneurship. From the fall of 2021, cultural center FLOW will also organize book clubs for young people. IBBY donated around 75 YA novels to the FLOW library from its own collection of previously submitted books for prizes and exhibitions.
Beirut
In August 2020, an unprecedented explosion took place in the port of Beirut. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless. Schools and libraries were also affected. The Lebanese section of IBBY (LBBY) immediately started a fundraising campaign and invented how they could help schools rebuild their libraries. Thanks to donations via the Children in Crisis Fund of IBBY International, new books have been purchased and renovation work has already started at five schools in collaboration with UNESCO. IBBY-Netherlands was also able to make a financial contribution. Shivali Moda, one of our two international interns, made us aware of the campaign. Read more about the renovations of the school libraries here.
El Salvador
In 2016, the Library of Dreams opened in San Salvador, a library where children can come into contact with their own culture through children's books in a safe multilingual environment. The first library opened in San Jacinto, in
a neighborhood of the city of El Salvador. IBBY-Nederland contributed to a pop-up branch in Santo Domingo de Guzman. In this program, three hundred children are inspired to read and develop their skills, so that they can see a better future.
Iran
Dutch/Swedish illustrator Marit Törnqvist is active in the reading promotion organization Read with Me in Iran. This year, IBBY-Netherlands supports the lessons she gives to illustrators, starting with an introductory lecture of about three hours to a large group and then ten individual Skype lessons. The introductory lecture is recorded and distributed among illustrators in Iran by Read with Me.
