British volunteers donate 25,000 books to Ukrainian libraries
Photo: Facebook/PEN Ukraine
Over 25,000 English-language books for adults, teenagers, and children have arrived from the United Kingdom.
They were gifted to Ukrainian libraries as part of a new charity initiative, Rubryka reports, referring to PEN Ukraine.
What's the problem?
"We know that since Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine began, libraries have become shelters for communities and places where reading and learning can continue," said Alison Tweed, the Chief Executive of Book Aid International.
The idea for this initiative emerged in April of this year during the London Book Fair. At that time, English PEN, one of the partners in the Ukrainian program at the fair, decided to join the "Unbreakable Libraries" initiative.
The PEN team announced the collection of English-language books at their events.
"English is becoming more widespread in the daily lives of our citizens. According to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 89% of Ukrainians consider English a foreign language that citizens of our country must learn," said Tetiana Teren, the Executive Director of PEN Ukraine.
What's the solution?
The head of the British public organization stressed that supporting this positive trend systematically was important. That's why English PEN, in collaboration with partners, sent 25,000 books to libraries in various regions of Ukraine.
Photo: Facebook / PEN Ukraine
PEN Ukraine, the British charity foundation Book Aid International, English PEN, PEN International, and the "Nova Poshta" delivery service joined forces in this initiative.
"I sincerely want to thank all the publishers who supported the idea of helping Ukrainian libraries," said Tweed.
How does it work?
In August 2023, PEN Ukraine announced that they accept applications from Ukrainian libraries to receive English-language books. In three months, the team received over 800 applications.
The most needed categories were literature for children and teenagers, textbooks for learning English, and non-fiction publications for adults. Requests for books ranged from three copies to 5,000.
Photo: Facebook / PEN Ukraine
The PEN team is currently analyzing applications, sorting copies, and preparing book sets. Libraries that suffered from the war will be the first to receive them.
Photo: Facebook / PEN Ukraine
Books from dozens of leading UK publishers, including Penguin Random House, Oxford University Press, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Unbound, and others, have arrived in Ukraine.
Ambassadors for the initiative in the UK include authors such as Alexander McCall Smith, Edmund de Waal, and Elif Shafak.
In Ukraine, Sofia Andrukhovych, Andrii Bondar, Svitlana Taratorina, as well as director and actor Akhtem Seitablaev, have joined the campaign.
In other news, the committee for the national Taras Shevchenko Prize in Ukraine has finalized the list of literary and artistic works and their authors submitted for the 2024 competition.
The book "Who Will Make the Snow" by Ukrainian authors Mariana and Taras Prokhasko was included in The New York Times' ranking of the best books for children and teenagers in 2023.
