Kalimat Foundation for Children’s Empowerment (KF) has collected the first 100 libraries as part of its ‘Pledge a Library’ initiative to supply books to children in crisis situations, and all Arab refugee communities around the world.

Launched on the sidelines of KF’s participation in the 36th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2017), the initiative will provide much-needed reading material to Arab youngsters living refugee camps and in Europe, USA and the rest of the world, providing them with the opportunity to preserve their Arabic language as well as their Arab culture, traditions and heritage.

H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohamed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, has pledged the donation of the first set of libraries.

Amna Al Mazimi, Manager of KF, said: "Children in deprived areas and regions affected by wars have very limited access to sources of knowledge, especially books that allow them to explore the world and give them hope.

"Through the ‘Pledge a Library’ initiative, we look forward to seeing VIPs and other individuals contribute to bringing about change in the lives of those children and giving them access to books."

Al Mazimi underscored that the UAE will always one of the world’s leading humanitarian centres, not only through delivering emergency relief assistance to disadvantaged people, but also through launching these sustainable cultural projects and initiatives that impact the lives of generations of people, particularly through reading, one of the most effective methods of elevating and developing communities.

Many organisations have also lent their weight to the initiative, most notably Sharjah Media Council (SMC), Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB), Sharjah Ladies Club (SLC), Knowledge without Borders (KwB), the ‘1001 Titles’ initiative, and the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), among many others.