On October 11, International Day of the Girl Child, I will be releasing 35 portraits of women and girls in our Howard County community posing with their favorite books. Why? Because we understand that reading and books are essential to receiving a quality education. This is not the norm in much of the world around us. Especially in war-torn pockets of the world. And most especially for girls. 

Imagine having to pull your children out of school and leave your home and run for your life to another country because of the violence of war. Most of us cannot begin to understand the journey these refugee families have been on. But perhaps we can imagine how much we would want our kids to get back into school and have a chance of normalcy and a better life. That is the desire of every parent on the planet. 

I am partnering with Somebody's Mama to help fund one refugee school library with 150 books. SM is partnering with the female-led non-profit in Istanbul working with Syrian refugee children called One Refugee Child. 

The book bundles are purchased from Turkish booksellers, which stimulates the economy of a developing nation, and include books in Arabic, Turkish, and English. Each set of books is geared toward children aged 6-14.

Here’s what that looks like by the numbers:

$700 buys 150 books to fill the shelves in one school library

$235 buys 50 books in one language—either Arabic, Turkish, or English

$5 covers the cost of one book

Because we want to outfit 15 schools, Somebody’s Mama will be raising $10,500. Each school has approximately 300 students, which means 4,500 children will benefit from these books. For more information about this project, click here.

A $20 donation to this fundraiser (tax deductible) will unlock the full resolution images available for download for each subject.

Please join us and share with your favorite readers in our community!