By Rana Dajani | WLR Founder
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!
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