Twinning Updates from the November 2025 Board Meeting

IBBY El Salvador:
Jorge Argueta reported to me that IBBY El Salvador activities have slowed down considerably. They sometimes join festivities already being held by the Ministry of Education including Children’s Day, Dia del Libro, the Day of the Dead, and other activities that are reading related. IBBY El Salvador also celebrates a major even every year, the Manyula International Children’s Poetry Festival. The Library of Dreams is also operating for children in San Salvador and another location.
IBBY Haiti:
Jocelyne Trouillot reported from IBBY Haiti that things are very bad. Hurricane Melissa hit the south of the island. This has caused even more complications in the life of thousands of families displaced because of gang activities. She says that, “School is open but half of the children do not make it because of food scarcity. Some schools do supply lunch for the children and this helps with attendance. From our point of view, we need books for the children. Our Team, many of our trained members have left and we are constantly training new people to expose the children to books. Our supplies have been completely used. Besides the books, we need paper, pencils, and crayons. We have a safe area to keep them.” She says that the need for training is also important, including writers, illustrators and monitors. “Any help by USBBY will be well appreciated!”
IBBY Lebanon:
Shereen Kreidieh reports that IBBY Lebanon continues their work with children in Lebanon in crisis and after the crisis. There is a big demand in Lebanon to get children and books closer together through: 

• continuing our projects of building and developing libraries in public schools
  
• building and developing libraries in the schools affected by the war 
  
• doing recreational activities and biblio-therapy activities for children whose education has been disrupted and who lack  access to safe, resource rich learning environments.
  
• working with refugee camps for displaced families triggered by the conflict in southern Lebanon and Gaza.
  

She expresses that USBBY’s support is highly appreciated.
Among current projects and activities are the following:

• Promoting Reading for Displaced Children in Bekaa
  

The project focuses on supporting three schools by renovating libraries, supplying Arabic and English books, and providing training for library staff. These efforts aim to foster not only academic growth but also emotional resilience through literature, particularly for children experiencing the trauma of displacement and conflict. The project serves three schools/libraries, providing 3,000 English and Arabic books donated by Book Aid International and 300 books purchased for each school. It also includes training staff to manage libraries and deliver bibliography sessions.

• IBBY Lebanon’s Partnership with Mouvement Social, 
  

a Lebanese organization that works to empower marginalized communities by providing educational support, protection services and community-based programs. The three branches supported through this project are located in areas where children face extreme social and economic challenges, neighborhoods that host a large number of displaced families and refugees, many of whom have fled violence or destruction in other parts of Lebanon or from neighboring countries, Palestine (Gaza) and Syria. Donations have been 1,500 books donated from Book Aid International, 300 books purchased in Arabic and French.

• In the coming phase of the initiative, IBBY Lebanon will distribute an additional set of Arabic-language children’s books funded by the IBBY Children in Crisis Fund.
  
• Alongside the books, Trauma Teddies, will be distributed at the three Mouvement Social branches. These soft comfort items , paired with stories of strength and healing, offer emotional reassurance to children navigating loss, instability and fear.
  

IBBY Palestine:
Of course, we know that the situation in Gaza is horrific. Much of Gaza has been destroyed including libraries, schools, and hospitals. Many of the inhabitants have been displaced or killed including many children. The two libraries in Gaza City and Beit Hanoun where children took refuge from the war have, again, been completely destroyed. And many of those children’s lives have been destroyed along with the libraries.
IBBY Palestine does report that one project is making a difference, called “Libraries are Havens.” $15,900 has been raised through Story Sunbirds, with the support of IBBY’s Children in Crisis Fund, for the two IBBY Palestine library communities. The humanitarian aid will be used for the displaced children, librarians, and families. Says, IBBY Palestine, “It means a great deal to show tangible care when the children must feel so alone and abandoned. The libraries were their second homes, their safe havens. Now they’ve lost both their homes. Yet the librarians continue their work with them to keep them strong and stable as much as they can.” Among supporters are authors who lent their voices to the fundraising effort, including Naomi Shihab Nye, Kyo Maclear, Katherine Paterson and Beverly Naidoo.
Fundraising for this special project is ongoing as the needs are ongoing!