The Library Project’s Quest To Make Reading a Human Right

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I grew up in libraries. It was a family ritual. Every week we would pile into the minivan, scatter like mice through the stacks, and meet back up an hour later at the check-out counter loaded down with books and armed with our library cards. As an adult, I’m still just as passionate. I go to a book club every month and love getting lost in the (literally) millions of books available on my phone, the digital version of those hallowed library halls. However, it’s such a common part of my life that too often I forget, for many people reading is still a privilege.

According to UNESCO, over 773 million adults cannot read, largely because there are still places in every country in the world where books are a rarity, and good teachers to make use of them are even scarcer.

This is where The Library Project (TLP) steps in. Nicole He, China country director for TLP explains that “in our pre-assessment survey [of Qian Xian county] we found out that few of these rural teachers had heard about picture books, and they rarely or never had tried to read a picture book aloud to the students.” In the three years following that pre-assessment, TLP would go on to not only donate nearly 8,500 books but train 123 teachers in that county alone. “After getting three years’ program support, teachers from the program schools in Qian Xian county are having reading lessons on a weekly basis. Students now enjoy reading aloud in the early morning, and their favorite time is storytelling.”

And this is far from TLP’s only success story. To date, 3,225 classroom libraries and 1,372 community reading rooms have been built, while 38,000 teachers have been trained. It’s easy to get bogged down in the numbers and forget that real people live behind those statistics. 

Every child who opens a book and discovers the power of the narrative contained in its pages is far more likely to go on to higher education, a better-paying job, and the ability to support their family and community. What’s more, reading has been linked to increased levels of empathy, compassion, and understanding. 

Simply put, over a million childrens' lives are better because The Library Project put a book in their hands.

Jingkids thinks a million more kids need the same opportunity and it turns out a lot of folks in our community agree. So in partnership with Xian Bar at East Hotel, we are organizing our first-ever Cocktails for a Cause event this Friday, Jul 9 from 3-5pm, and we are inviting you to join us. 

In addition to free-flow beverages, you’ll have the opportunity to walk away with some incredible prizes courtesy of TRB, The Brick Yard, Maria Nauen, and Hummingbird Spa all while listening to the incredible MAC Daddies perform. Everything has been generously donated so every single penny goes directly to kids and teachers right here in China. 

Please join us for what is sure to be the most fun you’ll ever have doing a good deed. To make your donation and reserve your ticket scan the QR code in the flyer below. 

See you Friday!

Images: Unsplash

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