We Love Reading

Dear Valued Donors,

We are continuing our mission to establish a library in every neighborhood, and we are excited to share the achievements we have accomplished.

Over the last four months, the WLR online training on "How to Read Aloud for Children" has reached a significant milestone. A total of 90 new ambassadors worldwide have received the training in multiple languages, joining the ever-growing network of over a thousand WLR ambassadors across the globe. In addition to the thousands in Jordan.

The We Love Reading program established two partnerships around the world and reached 81 countries. The first partnership is a collaboration with the Psychological and Reflexology Reception Center (PRRC) in Malawi, nearly 186 ambassadors (men and women) have been trained. This partnership came in response to the urgent need to address the increasing psychological suffering of refugees and vulnerable groups, particularly those affected by mental illness, trauma, physical disabilities, and social marginalization.

The second partnership: the Farrukh Foundation and Fundación Magic World partnered with We Love Reading to promote the love of reading in educational centers across Colombia. This collaboration aims to foster a love of reading for pleasure, adapting the WLR model to fit the school environment, with teachers overseeing the sessions and older students given the opportunity to read to younger children under proper guidance.

In Egypt, a special training through a joint collaboration was launched between the We Love Reading program and the Children of Female Prisoners Care Association.

This partnership followed the visit of Dr. Nawal Mostafa, the association’s founder, to the We Love Reading headquarters in Amman, Jordan, where her schedule included theoretical and practical activities, field visits to read-aloud sessions, and intensive meetings with the program’s team and the founder of WLR, Prof. Rana Dajani, to plan the implementation stages and establish libraries featuring WLR’s children’s books. The training was conducted online over two days. The first day introduced the program’s philosophy and key studies on the impact of reading in communities, while the second day focused on practical applications of reading aloud and interactive activities with participants. One of the trainees, Mr. Tareq Al-Rifai, shared that the read-aloud sessions were highly positive, as children enjoyed the stories and engaged with them attentively.

In Syria, our ambassador Sanaa Abidat received We Love Reading training last year in Daraa Governorate, southern Syria. She began teaching children to read after noticing the severe educational gap caused by the war and the lack of reading, seeing in the program an opportunity to address this issue. After the training, Sanaa began regularly reading to children, including reading stories in English, aiming to improve their behavior and enhance their skills through read-aloud sessions.

Some teachers noticed the impact of these sessions on the children and began borrowing stories from her while learning to apply read-aloud techniques themselves. Sanaa emphasizes that more than half of the children in Daraa have experienced a true tragedy during the war, having been exposed to violence and deprived of educational opportunities, especially in areas heavily bombarded, leaving many children more familiar with war and violence than anything else.

In the south of Jordan, specifically in Aqaba Governorate, We Love Reading ambassador Abeer Al-Nawaisa organized a read-aloud session for 400 students, both girls and boys. This session was part of a series of initiatives aimed at fostering a culture of reading in schools and the wider community. Abeer is a teacher in Aqaba with extensive experience in both education and community work, and she received an award from Queen Rania for Excellence in Education. For this session, Abeer read The Chef of Words, a book developed by We Love Reading, which resonated deeply with the students as it addressed a sensitive issue many of them face: bullying.

According to Abeer, the story’s impact was evident from the very beginning. The students were highly focused and engaged, following the events eagerly and anticipating the ending with curiosity and excitement. In terms of books, We Love Reading celebrates the achievement of Palestinian-Jordanian scientist Omar Yaghi, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Queen of Balloons, developed by the We Love Reading program and written by Lina Qutaishat with illustrations by Ali Al-Zini, was inspired by the character Uncle Omar, based on the renowned scientist Omar Yaghi.

The story highlights his inspiring innovations and emphasizes the importance of our scientists and their contributions to building better communities. The book also addresses climate change and water issues through an engaging storyline that captivates children, and it is available in English as well.

WLR took part in the Amman International Book Fair in september 2025. WLR organized activities as part of the program’s vision to instill a love of reading in children and make it a daily habit they share with their families.

On the occasion of National Reading Day, the We Love Reading program organized a series of special reading sessions at the Amman International Book Fair, welcoming a group of school students into an atmosphere full of fun and interaction.

Within our Children’s Book Development Department, a total of “1367” books were distributed over the past four months, with each ambassador receiving a book package to start their own library. Each package includes 23 books designed to be engaging, creative, and inspiring for children.

These books are developed based on carefully set criteria and methodology, considering themes relevant to children's cultural backgrounds, language, and age appropriateness. They cover important topics including environmental awareness, empathy, gender equality, non-violence, disability inclusion, refugee issues, and climate change.

We are honored to have your support. Thank you for making this work possible, and we look forward to sharing more of the difference your generosity 

Links:

• https://www.1masmaas.org/
• https://we-love-reading-program-the-online-training.teachable.co
• https://welovereading.org/

Dear Valued Donors,

Day by day, we have been bringing our read-aloud sessions to each neighborhood, extending our libraries beyond boundaries. We are delighted to share the incredible progress we have achieved and how far we have come.

Over the last four months, the WLR online training on "How to Read Aloud for Children" has reached a significant milestone. A total of 152 new ambassadors worldwide have completed the training in multiple languages, joining the ever-growing network of over a thousand WLR ambassadors across the globe.

In addition, the “1 Million Asmaas” initiative made a significant impact in India, where the Dawn Child Foundation hosted a screening of WLR ambassador Asmaa’s powerful documentary, “The Neighborhood Storyteller”, for more than 50 parents. Following this, over 100 We Love Reading trainings were conducted, sparking emotional responses and deep engagement with the program. Dawn Child Foundation (DCF), an NGO based in South Delhi, India, works with parents in low-income communities, helping them build strong, nurturing relationships with their children through storytelling.

As we work to fill children’s days with reading, we made the most of the summer’s free time, which witnessed several activities and more children fall in love with reading. In Jordan, Princess Sumaya University for Technology in Amman organized an event as part of its summer club for the children of university staff. The event featured engaging read-aloud sessions for pleasure, and children’s books developed by the program were distributed to encourage children to continue reading with their families and to bring this joyful activity into every home. The session was led by We Love Reading ambassador Huda Al-Muhtaseb, who read a selection of books. The children were highly engaged and listened attentively to the storytelling.

Sparked by our belief that partnerships with civil society institutions, both public and private, are among the key activities that expand cultural movements, spread positive impact, and mobilize collective efforts toward change, many collaborations have been carried out with government and private sector organizations.

The We Love Reading program was invited to participate in the “Heroes Jordan” competition award ceremony as a sponsor partner in the media campaign. One of our ambassadors, Eman Bani Salman, won the Heroes Jordan competition in the public category. She learned about the competition through the We Love Reading program and its media campaign within the WLR ambassadors' community, which encouraged members to take part in cultural initiatives.

During the ceremony, the program participated with a dedicated booth featuring children's literature books and distributed books to the winners and a group of attendees, who inspired us with their stories and the stories of their heroes.

With the government, over the course of a two-day intensive workshop, the We Love Reading program was invited by the Jordanian Ministry of Culture to take part in a workshop organized by UNESCO to discuss the Culture-2030 Indicators Framework and its role in supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Jordan.

The We Love Reading program was associated with several indicators across multiple dimensions, due to its contributions through community-based trainings and the development of children’s books that address all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Our ambassadors’ impact continues to grow. WLR ambassador Zuhur Dugheimat launched the children's book "Zuhur’s Garden Library", a true story that reflects the children’s feelings when their reader was no longer there, and how the need for storytelling transformed into a community initiative.

“From the first day, the We Love Reading training helped me learn how to design reading for pleasure sessions. It opened channels of communication I never imagined with decision makers and earned me the trust of my community. Whenever I invite them to an event or initiative, I am now one of the voices they listen to without hesitation,” Zuhur shares. The book " Zuhur’s Garden Library ", received positive feedback as an enjoyable read for both children and adults, filled with educational and deeply human messages.

Within our children’s book development department, a total of 1,651 books were distributed over the past four months, with each ambassador receiving a book package to start their own library. Each package includes 23 books designed to be engaging, creative, and inspiring for children. These books are developed based on carefully set criteria and methodology, considering themes relevant to children's cultural backgrounds, language, and age appropriateness. They cover a range of important topics, including environmental awareness, empathy, gender equality, non-violence, disability inclusion, refugee issues, and climate change.

We are honored to have your support. Thank you for making this work possible, and we look forward to sharing more of the difference your generosity makes!

Links:

• 1 Million Asmaas Initiative
• We Love Reading Online Training
• We Love Reading Website