Temporary libraries and bibliotherapy in benefit of children affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
In February 2023, a series of violent earthquakes shook the south-east of Turkey and the neighbouring regions of Syria, affecting 15 million people (including more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees) in 11 Turkish provinces. Since then Turkey has witnessed a major domestic migration with nearly 2 million finding refuge to almost every region of the country. It took no longer than 4 days after the disaster for Çocuk ve Gençlik Yayınları Derneği–IBBY Turkey to start planning an initiative to support children in the affected areas.
Pakistan: Community Libraries
The Sharjah/IBBY Fund supported the creation of a countrywide network of small community libraries, beginning in 2013. The project included a two-day conference on issues involved in setting up community libraries and bibliotherapy as well as travel to India to learn about similar projects and ways of creating low-cost quality books in regional languages. A second stage involved awarding small grants and book bundles to selected community libraries.
Lebanon: Syrian Refugees and "Tell Me a Story"
Since 2013, IBBY Lebanon has brought relief to Syrian Refugees, specifically Syrian children caught up in the war and now refugees in Lebanon. The therapeutic programme used is called bibliotherapy and it was developed for Lebanese children after the Lebanese civil war and the war with Israel. The programme uses books, theatre and other methods to help children understand their own feelings, express them and recognise the feelings of others. In 2015, the Sharjah/IBBY Fund supported a project in Lebanon, Tell Me a Story, that hosted reading sessions and workshops at health clinics to encourage parents of small children to establish storytelling and books as part of their routine at home. The families and children had no access to books in their community, therefore the second part of the project was the establishment of mobile libraries at the health clinics.
Mexico: Support for Children
The earthquakes of 7 and 19 September 2017 affected children in many communities in the states of Chiapas, Morelos, Oaxaca and Mexico City. Funding was approved for projects to build the resilience of the affected children and youth that included: reading promotion activities as part of creating a playful environment; obtaining and managing donations of books for public and private institutions in the disaster areas; and training of reading community mediators (paid and volunteers) in reading activities, library maintenance and reading project management to ensure the activities are sustainable over time.
Indonesia: Book Donation Project
IBBY supported several projects in Indonesia to distribute books and hold storytelling session for children in need in Indonesia in 2017. The activities took place in churches and communities affected by flooding in Aceh and Bima (East Nusa Tenggara), in the children’s cancer ward in a public hospital in Jakarta, in villages in the outskirts of Jogja (Central Java), in the cancer ward of a public hospital in Bali and in schools and the markets for children workers in Bali. There were also activities for the volunteers in Perpustakaan Bergerak (Moving Libraries/Mobile Libraries) in West Java, Sumba Island and Papua Island.
Ecuador: Rebuilding Libraries
In April 2016, an earthquake with a force of 7.8 on the Richter scale destroyed the infrastructure of many cities and towns in the Ecuadorean coastal provinces of Esmeraldas and Manabí. 655 people died and over 4600 were physically injured and the psychological trauma, especially for the survivors, especially young people, was significant. IBBY-Ecuador received approval from the IBBY Children in Crisis Fund for a project to provide emotional support and active listening to the children in the context of reading and libraries. It includes re-stocking libraries as well as training volunteers to encourage reading and storytelling. The activities target the county of Muisne in Esmeraldas and Manta in the Manabí province with a focus on children in the ages of 5 to 14.
Tunisia: Book Boxes
In 2014, funding from the Sharjah/IBBY Fund was obtained for a project to distribute 8 boxes with reading material and audio books for disadvantaged children and children with special needs at schools and centres in deprived areas. The idea of a “box” was as a kind of treasure chest of books, to bring the books to the children in a collection that could be moved from site to site. Four boxes each with 300 books were prepared for children in schools in deprived areas and two sets of 2 boxes with a selection of 50 books each were prepared for a centre for children with special needs and centre for blind and partially sighted children.
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
The eastern coast of Japan was devastated by the worst natural disaster ever to hit Japan. On 11 March 2011 an earthquake of 8.9 magnitude struck the seabed east of Japan. This caused a huge 10 metre tsunami to crash into the eastern coast, killing thousands of people and sweeping away boats, cars, schools and homes and damaging the nuclear power stations in the region. All of which led to widespread evacuations. IBBY will work with the 3.11 Ehon Project in Iwate to give the children of the area relief through books and reading. The project will take books, give readings and storytelling activities, as well as train more volunteers to work with the children.
Pakistan Floods
In 2010, Pakistan was hit by the worst floods in its 63 year history. 20 million people were affected; of those 9 million were children. 11,000 schools were swept away or been rendered unusable. IBBY Pakistan – Alif Laila will worked with NGOs/Government agencies working in all five provinces of the country to distribute library kits for the children. A total of USD 3,500 was raised and a further USD 15,000 was donated by the Katherine Paterson Family Foundation.
Haiti Earthquake
After a devastating earthquake shook and destroyed the lives of thousands in Haiti in 2010, IBBY International immediately launched an appeal to collect funds for Haiti. IBBY Haiti identified the camps in which they could work and started working in some of the smaller ones. One of the printing presses that had not been damaged has been able to re-print some of the books needed for the bibliotherapy sessions. The team went into the camps to provide, through bibliotherapy, some relief for the children. USD 42,000 was raised for the Haiti project.
Chile Earthquake
The earthquake in Chile in early 2010 caused widespread physical and emotional damage. IBBY Chile and Corporación Lectura Viva [Reading Promotion Corporation] collaborated in the Palabras que acompañan [Words to Keep you Company] programme to deliver books and reading sessions to help relieve trauma in children and young people who are facing the loss of their loved ones and their homes, who have been injured or who have been forced to move in with friends and family.
Haiti Hurricane
The healing power of storytelling and books: natural and environmental disasters in Haiti and their psychological effect on children. Following the tragic storms that hit Haiti in 2009, and the collapse of a school that killed many children, IBBY Haiti embarked on a project to bring relief to the children through storytelling and bibliotherapy.
Lebanon War
Conflict Management for War Traumatized Children. This programme was organized by IBBY Lebanon in 2007 and is currently running in schools in Southern Lebanon using puppetry, theatre, storytelling and books to explore issues of anger and alternative methods of conflict resolution.
Colombia Civil War
This project comprises reading clubs for children and young people who are victims of armed conflict in Colombia from 2008 to 2010. Operated by the Banco del Libro (IBBY Venezuela) and Asolectura in Colombia, the project will involve 1,000 street children, who have been displaced by the ongoing civil conflict, in reading clubs. Selected books will be available through a system of mobile libraries. An important component of this project will be a phase of rigorous assessment at the end of the period, aimed at refining IBBY’s work in bibliotherapy.
Afghanistan War
Children's Literature: Bridges between Nations: In Afghanistan, childhood and the rights of children are not fully recognised. As a result there is little quality children's book publishing and no tradition of reading for pleasure. This project was an attempt to bring together local and international expertise to the goal of bringing children and books together in a country that has faced significant disruption since the war in 2009.
China Earthquake
Reading makes us stronger: books as a response to the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province in China.
Peru Earthquake
Bibliotherapy in emergencies: responses to the aftermath of the earthquake in the region south-southeast of Lima following the earthquake in 2007.
Tsunami Relief Projects: Indonesia, India, Thailand and the Maldives
Several projects were initiated immediately following the 2005 tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean region in Indonesia, India, Thailand and the Maldives.
