IBBY Children in Crisis: Ukraine

2023 Project: Library is the Universe of Children’s Safety

The IBBY National Section in Ukraine, in partnership with the National Library of Ukraine for Children, has launched the project “Library is the Universe of Children’s Safety” to support children affected by the war. In response to the trauma and displacement caused by the Russian military aggression, the project transforms libraries into safe spaces that offer educational, emotional, and psychological support to internally displaced and war-affected children.

The initiative will expand access to Ukrainian literature and ensure inclusive reading opportunities by purchasing over 1,000 new books, including tactile and Braille editions, tablets, headphones for audiobooks, and interactive games. Two dedicated workstations equipped with laptops will also enable children to attend online classes.

Through bibliotherapy, art and theatrical workshops, fairy tale therapy, literary picnics, and educational programs, children will be encouraged to heal, learn, and express themselves creatively. The project also integrates psychological support and community engagement, fostering a sense of belonging and normalcy.

Expected outcomes include:

Reaching over 12,000 new young readers and 50,000 online visits
Establishing a safe and welcoming cultural space for creative development
Providing psychological rehabilitation and promoting the culture of reading
Sharing best practices through seminars and a video diary for the global IBBY network

The project affirms every child’s right to read, to heal, and to feel safe—making libraries a cornerstone of resilience, hope, and recovery for Ukraine’s youngest generation.

August 2024 Report

Library is the Universe of Children’s Safety

August 2024

Dear colleagues,
Despite our country's hard time, libraries continue to operate, serve their users, and provide necessary services. Particular attention is paid to children who have suffered traumatic experiences due to Russian military aggression - displaced children, refugees, orphans in care, who, together with their families, have lost their homes and today need psychological rehabilitation and integration into a new environment. We continue to implement the project "Library is the Universe of Children's Safety" under the Children in Crisis Foundation program, which aims to expand the possibilities of library space for reading, new skills, and bibliotherapy activities and promote a culture of reading and free access to Ukrainian books. Every day, our psychologists actively use innovative services to work with children, as well as the most effective methods of working with books, interactive games, tablets, etc.

With grant funds, we purchased over 2000 Ukrainian-language publications. The funds of the affected libraries have been partially replenished, and the rest of the books are waiting to be sent to them when it becomes physically possible.

Librarians are doing their best to improve the quality of library services for children, raise awareness, take measures to support the culture of reading and act as a key factor in creating conditions for the safe mental health and life of Ukraine's younger generation.

Sincerely yours,
IBBY Ukraine

December 2023 Report

Library is the Universe of Children’s Safety

December 2023

Dear colleagues,
National Section UA IBBY and the National Library of Ukraine for Children are implementing the "Library is the Universe of Children's Safety" project.
Despite the war, we continue to promote the reading culture among Ukrainian children. In particular, we encourage books in virtual and natural spaces and conduct appropriate forms adapted to specific circumstances.

Thanks to the cooperation of libraries, book publishers, psychologists, writers, and partners, the National Library of Ukraine for Children has created a psychological space for children to receive information and access the best Ukrainian-language books, electronic resources, and interactive games.

This project made it possible to purchase more than 2,000 books by contemporary Ukrainian children's writers for libraries affected by russian aggression, which will be delivered to the collections of libraries in Mariupol, Kherson, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Makariv Library in Kyiv region, and others. Unfortunately, even now, these cities are suffering from shelling and destruction, such as the Kherson Regional Library for Children. However, the books will be transferred to these libraries as soon as possible, and the children's collections will be replenished with the best modern editions. Thousands of young readers will receive them for reading.

The space provides free access to Ukrainian books and continues to conduct training and activities for children who need special attention from society today. Librarians unleash their readers' creative, intellectual, and physical potential through bibliotherapy activities. These are events on fairy tale therapy, art therapy, and theater therapy, where psychologists actively use new books, hold game tournaments, and use technical devices during classes with children. In this way, we communicate with children from internally displaced families and their social adaptation to community life.

Children visit the library with pleasure, read, get positive emotions, and distract themselves from the horrors caused by the war. They are happy to join various projects and events and rush to the library, where it is cozy and safe, where incredible workshops, quests, meetings with writers, and books, books, books are waiting for them. Here are some of the events: "In Peace with Yourself and Others," "The Territory of Your Power," "Say a "NO!" to Bullying," "Coloured Rainbow Space," game tournaments and interactive games "The Power of Questions," meetings at the "Mama Time" location, etc.

Every child has the right to read accessible literature in any format and receive free services and resources, such as listening to audiobooks using tablets and headphones.

We are grateful to all the IBBY National Sections and the international community for supporting our country in this difficult time.
Short Video of Project Activities

September 2023 Report

Library is the Universe of Children’s Safety

August - September 2023

Dear colleagues, the vacation season is finally over, and almost all of our employees have returned to work. And now, we have boldly started implementing the project “Library is the Universe of Children’s Safety,” which aims to expand the library space’s possibilities for reading, new skills, bibliotherapy activities, and promoting a culture of reading. The area provides free access to Ukrainian books, provides children with the conditions to obtain the necessary information, and fosters a reading culture. More than 700 Ukrainian-language publications have already been purchased, which will help update the library collections affected by Russian aggression. We continue to buy books to replenish the library’s collection with new modern children’s literature.

The psychological service started the school year by working with new books and games for young visitors in the library’s psychological space. Every day, our psychologists provide services for children and parents and actively use innovative services for working with children and the most effective methods of working with books. Among them are forms of fairy tale therapy for the youngest from the cycle “Cool Rainbow Space,” bibliotherapy, art therapy for middle school children, “BiblioART Workshop,” and the development of emotional and volitional spheres for teenagers.

All purchased technical equipment is used during these classes. That improves children’s integration into social and cultural life, their psychological state, and the quality of services for them. At art therapy, children paint, for example, shell casings, turning what has caused suffering and destruction into works of art. This idea inspired the workshop for children called “Transformation of Weapons.”

Every child has the right to read accessible literature in any format and to receive free services and resources. Children use tablets and headphones to listen to audiobooks, and laptops are used for online classes and during training.

Every child loves to play with pleasure. With interesting interactive games, board game tournaments are held, where you can not only try your hand but also get positive emotions and distract from the difficult memories and events taking place in the country. Parents are also happy to play games with their children. We have purchased games for different ages, and they are in great demand.

The coordinator and ideological leader of the project are the IBBY National Section and the National Library of Ukraine for Children (Library).

With best regards,
IBBY Ukraine

Past Projects

2022 IBBY Appeal for Funds to support Books for Ukrainian Children in Poland

A year after the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine, the armed conflict has brought death and material, and has forced 8 million Ukrainians—90% of them women and children—to flee their country, making this refugee wave the largest in Europe since World War II.

The Fundacja Powszechnego Czytania (Universal Reading Foundation) is a collective of around 20 Polish publishers and distributers based in Warsaw that is leading an effort to supply books to the Ukrainian refugee children in Poland. The Foundation has contact with Ukrainian publishers and has received printing files of picture books and story books. The Foundation is printing and distributing the books to local shelters, individuals and larger reception centres around the country. A report of their activities can be found here. If you would like to help this project please donate through the IBBY website or directly to: fpc.org.pl.

Another project that draws awareness of the terrible consequences of war is a poster campaign initiated by the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany with the title, We Stand with Ukraine. The six posters are taken from the existing exhibition Hello Dear Enemy! Picture Books for Peace and Humanity. The Youth Library is offering these posters as digital files that can be reproduced for schools, libraries, cultural centres and others public places. Each of the six posters are available in English and Ukrainian, together with one bilingual information poster. The charge for these 13 posters is EUR 30 for the set. The proceeds will go to Fundacja Powszechnego Czytania, which will buy books directly from Ukrainian publishers and transport them to Poland for distribution. Please visit the website for more information: www.ijb.de/en/exhibitions.

IBBY is supporting these two worthwhile projects that will get books into children’s hands when they most need them. Please share these two worthwhile initiatives widely.

Thank you for your support.