One Library at a Time
“Facial expressions are so important,” Siham explained as she furrowed her eyebrows and gazed around an imaginary circle of young listeners. Sitting forward with intense eyes, this was one of the tips she kept in mind when reading to her first group of children. Thirty young boys and girls gathered to hear Siham read My Aunt and I, and none of them knew she would perform and inspire as much as she would read a story.
Siham is among thirty Syrian women from around Za’atari Camp who received training from We Love Reading. Founded eight years ago, the Jordanian non-governmental organization has trained hundreds of women in the art of storytelling and engaged thousands of young children with lively stories. By providing training and books the group enables women to establish libraries of their own, each serving to instill a love of reading among local children. These techniques and resources for connecting with children and inspiring them to read have now reached Za’atari.
For two days the team from We Love Reading worked with the group of Syrian women and guided them on how to effectively deliver a story. Introducing a story means showing it to everyone in the audience. The title and author are opportunities to quiz the children and help them focus on the story. Children can guess what is taking place in a photo before the storyteller reads the text, and the reader should constantly act out what is being read. In her demonstration, Siham imitates surprised characters with wide eyes and an open mouth, and brings an angry adult to life by pursing her lips and narrowing her stare.
By the end of training, each woman was provided a box of books and encouraged to establish a small library. The belief is that these libraries and passionate storytellers will help build a culture of reading, and there is no doubt that they will.
Many children who attended Siham’s reading were so enthusiastic that they insisted on copying parts of the story by hand before racing home to show their families. This excitement mirrors that of the storyteller, who is eager to expand her library and ready to train other storytellers.
Support by IRD and LitWorld
May 2014