Education is one of the core human rights that everyone should have access to. However, there can be several impediments to the access to education that may range from poverty to lack of security. In Armenia, especially in small frontier villages, many children have very limited access to education. In some communities a class consisting of 10-20 pupils might have only one textbook, in other cases communities even do not have schools. If parents are educated, they do homeschooling, or somehow try to find ways and means to send their children to school in the nearby village, which becomes almost impossible especially in winter. Taken the absence of social welfare and inability of families to provide their living, parents can hardly afford buying new books. As a result, their children are deprived of obtaining many important skills.

“Share a Book” is the initiative that has tackled this issue. The aim of ISSD NGO’s “Share a book” project is to create an online platform where people from all around Armenia can donate books to those in need. The team will deliver the donated books to the most vulnerable groups of children in remote communities of Armenia. By providing books to schools, communities, educational projects and individuals, our team will create a positive change in children’s wellbeing by increasing literacy at local level.

The other positive development our team has faced is that people in Armenia are again into reading. One might think that this is not an issue. In fact, it is! Though bookstores are full of new editions and publications in different languages, including the translation of the foreign books into Armenian as well the books in the original language, the issue is that people simply do not have enough money to buy books for aesthetic needs. The prices are high in bookstores, whereas the average salary allows only for making both ends meet, let alone buying belletristic. The libraries in Armenia do not usually have new books. For this reason, “Share a Book” interactive platform will have a special corner also for book lovers. By using this feature any person from “Share a book” community can lend, borrow or exchange a book, offered by the members of our booklover’s community.

Books are the carriers of culture, education and aesthetic spirit of population. By preserving and exchanging books, we will not only inspire people to read and share, but also save our planet. This way ISSD will also make its small contribution to sustainability and nature protection.