In a joint initiative between The A. M. Qattan Foundation and Bank of Palestine, and after long months of anticipation, The Qattan Centre for the Child (QCC) in Gaza has finally received on Tuesday, 24 February 2015, its first Mobile Library bus.
The bus arrived in the Gaza Strip from Ramallah and through the Israeli-controlled Karm Abu Salem crossing after long and onerous procedures, which required close follow-up with several entities, notably due to the Israeli siege of the Strip.
The bus had arrived from Germany in Ramallah early June 2014, where it was furnished and equipped with state-of-the-art service facilities, including dedicated reading spots, a screen and Internet connectivity. The outside design will be done with the participation of children in Gaza . The bus will also be filled with books and the necessary material to allow the bus to tour throughout the Strip, with a special focus on deprived and marginalised areas. The bus will also facilitate the production by QCC staff of numerous cultural and recreational activities targeting children up to 15 years of age.
The Mobile Library Project is worth a total of $361,000 and is to be implemented by QCC on a 5-year period. Bank of Palestine will provide $172,000 while the A. M. Qattan Foundation will dedicate $188,000 to the project.
The Mobile Library aims to broaden the cultural, artistic and creative horizons of children by developing their reading and self-learning skills. It also aims to deepen children’s appreciation of the arts through a fun and interactive learning environment.
The project will target preschoolers as well as children at the primary and preparatory stages through partnerships with local schools and institutions, while ensuring equal distribution of services among the different governorates.
The Foundation has assigned around 37,500 library items to the Mobile Library, including an array of books on diverse subjects. The variety of activities accompanying the Mobile Library, which cater to different age groups, will include reading, storytelling, drama, traditional Palestinian games, arts and crafts, art contests, open mics and film screenings.
QCC will carry out the project through its Outreach Services Unit. Since 2005, the Unit has worked with more than 353,000 children, 2,900 parents and 250 childcare professionals, through partnerships with nearly 500 local institutions including schools, kindergartens, and child-focussed organisations. Over 160 institutions and 98,000 children, parents and professionals have already benefited from the Unit’s external book lending programme.