The all-Ukraine Book for Children charity project has come to Kyiv oblast. It was launched by the Hrani-T Publishing House, Ukraine 3000 Foundation, Children’s Pals Society, and Christian Youth organization “Vitania.”
These organizations will replenish the library stocks in several institutions, in particular in two boarding schools (city of Trypillia, Obukhivskyi raion, and the village of Bucha), the “Kobzar School” Children’s Home in the village of Stritivka (Kaharlyk raion), and a rehabilitation center in Korosten, and Kyiv boarding schools No. 14 and No. 23. Their students will receive more than 900 books published by Hrani-T and those from The Day’s Library Series, as well as the magazines Barvinok, Yanholiatko and Yanholiatkova Nauka. Later they will be visited by some star volunteers. For example, the well-known science fiction writer Serhii Diachenko came to speak to children in Lviv oblast and Foma of the Mandry band was in Ternopil oblast.
The project was launched six months ago in order to popularize books and book reading among children and youth in orphanages, boarding schools, and juvenile penitentiaries. Since then charity activities have been held in the Lviv, Ternopil, Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk, Sumy, and Kharkiv oblasts. “Having worked with children in boarding schools for many years, we can see that the problems with clothing, footwear, and food products have been solved. However, the problem of free access to information and the best pieces of the world’s and Ukrainian literature still remains. Clearly, orphans have to have the same free access to education and the world’s cultural heritage as the peers in loving and well-to-do families,” says Maryna Krysa, president of the Children’s Pals Society.
Mykola Nakonechny, the Bucha boarding school director, adds: “Today we face a serious problem: how do we convince children that a book has advantages over the computer and television? Our school has already received bright modern volumes presented by the organizers of this project. I have to say that both our children and adult staff studied them with admiration. Some 10 years ago the Ukrainian translations of the fairy tales from all over the world and foreign poetry and prose for children were, so to say, not quite successful. Today, when I leafed through the presented books, I noticed that they were created by Ukrainians for Ukrainian children with good taste, style, and love.
“I can’t blame the state for ignoring our issues. On the contrary, some of them receive even too much attention. However, books are quite expensive nowadays. And sometimes we have to make a choice between buying a couple of books and, for example, some clothes or stationery. That is why these books are a good investment into our future national intellect, and this is no exaggeration. Our children are also looking forward to meeting the volunteers. Reading a book read with a person you like, especially if you have seen him or her on TV or on the front page of a magazine, can warm a child’s heart for a long time.”
