There are 68.5 million people displaced worldwide, 31 million of them children. Many of these people are left without support, resources, and access to education. Many also live in book deserts.
What is a book desert? It’s an “environment where it is difficult or virtually impossible for families to access reading resources,” according to Millie’s Bookshelf, an organization hoping to fix the issue. Reading materials, especially early on in a child’s development, are critical to helping develop literacy skills. They’re also important for adults, who rely on reading material for accurate information on health issues, domestic violence, drug addiction, female genital mutilation, and other sensitive topics.
Millie’s Bookshelf hosts micro libraries around the world in partnership with local non-profits to bring 400-600 books at a time to underserved populations. The organization is also about to launch literacy program in Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, something it hopes to expand to other areas in need.
We spoke with Katie Howland, the founder of Millie’s Bookshelf, about her organization’s work and the need for #refugeinreading.
Why Millie’s Bookshelf?
I studied international security in college and was very interested in how we can prevent conflict. The best way is to provide people with basic needs. I worked in international development on a 10-country global program in Sub-Saharan Africa. I met hard working health workers and wonderful people, but the lack of resources made the work very challenging. I had immersed myself in a lot of different communities, and thought I had seen it all until South Sudan. While working with some of our midwives, I heard rumors that displaced people were refusing food aid. The food was sitting in a storage unit, but people were refusing to eat it because they thought it was part of a secret plot to sterilize them. I realized how critical literacy and accurate information is in conflict settings.
I decided I wanted to do something to impact that. I had worked with book drives and similar organizations earlier, and wanted to make sure no refugee child was left without access to a good book, and that no mother didn’t have the right amount of health information to make informed decisions.
The need for micro-libraries
We work solely in the informal sector due to a desire to bridge the gap for children who are out of school or who need additional assistance because their schools are overcrowded/underfunded. Even when kids are enrolled in schools, those schools are often overcrowded, have shortened school days, and have a very low number of qualified teachers. We knew we needed to develop some complimentary programs to make sure none of these kids were left behind. A lot of these settings are book deserts, where it’s virtually impossible to get your hands on a good book.
At first, we focused on refugee settings abroad. We take letters of interest from organizations who say they live in a book desert. But, being located in San Diego, a lot of domestic situations are heating up. Every day, ICE [Immigrations and Customs Enforcement} drops 50 asylum seekers in San Diego with nowhere to go. We’ve reached out to the San Diego Rapid Response Network, but the location is in such flux right now. Camps like Za’atari [in Jordan] are cities in their own right, but on the U.S.-Mexico border it’s much more in flux. We’re working on a mobile solution.
Involving local voices
We believe that humanitarian programming is most effective when the local population is involved. All of our programming is co-led by local nonprofits with experience. They help us gather local input and ensure long-term sustainability. In 2019, we’re partnering with Jordan Health Aid Society in Za’atari. That organization operates the sole maternity clinic in Za’atari for 80,000 people. With them, we’re creating a child friendly micro-library space. In 2020, we’re hoping to expand to underserved areas in northern Iraq.
The most important thing we do before going into a new area is have partners do a survey. We want to make sure we’re not displacing a local bookseller, and to ask locals what they want. Typically, we do a mixture of children’s, young adult, and adult books. In Za’atari, our survey showed a lot of interest in health, poetry, and cooking. About 80% of our collection is informed by the survey, and the remaining 15-20% is made up of core topics. We provide books about women’s health, human rights, helping children with disabilities, regional history, and culture. And it’s not just translations of English authors; we want to elevate local voices.
Reading as a human right
Only 3.6 percent of global humanitarian funding is spent on education. Aside from being a basic human right, we know so much about educating children. It reduces child marriage, reduces sexual and gender-based violence, reduces radicalization, and on and on. Young women are particularly vulnerable and are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school in conflict settings. We can’t afford to have a lost generation.
How can readers help?
They can apply for an internship or a volunteer position. They can donate online. They can hold community fundraisers. The best part is that our staff is really friendly and will help you through the process.
We know so many people have felt powerless watching coverage of conflicts. We aren’t powerless, we just have to show up and make a conscious decision to reject the status quo.
