IBBY-Yamada Fund

The Child’s Right to Become a Reader

In 2005, IBBY launched a campaign to draw attention to the right of every child to become a reader. With the generous financial contribution of the Yamada Bee Farm, which had funded several IBBY projects in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, the IBBY-Yamada Fund was established to provide grants for IBBY projects that help develop a book culture for children in all regions of the world. Each year around ten projects are selected by the Executive Committee among those presented by IBBY Members. Each approved project receives USD 5,000, and most projects have matching funding from other sources.

The range of Yamada projects is enormous, depending on the needs of the community. They span from reading promotion programmes, establishing libraries in schools and community centres, training teachers and parents in maintaining libraries and storytelling as well as workshops for writers, illustrators and editors of children's books.

IBBY-Yamada Fund Projects by Type

IBBY-Yamada Fund Projects 2024

IBBY Canada
Building a Reading Culture in Indigenous Communities: From Sea to Sea to Sea
Project aiming at creating appreciation and access to high quality Indigenous picture books in Indigenous communities across the country; a curated list of the finest picture books by First Nations, Métis and Inuit writers will be at the centre of the initiative.

IBBY Dominican Republic
Lleva un libro en la maleta (Roundtrip Book Exchange project)
Dual peace education project based on training and book exchange between the communities of two vulnerable neighbourhoods, Capotillo in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and Tetuán, Madrid (Spain).

IBBY Egypt
Capacity Building in Basic Library Management and Reading Promotion Skills in Al Asmarat, New Cairo
Pilot reading promotion project aimed at improving literacy levels and critical thinking among displaced and/or impoverished children; it includes the training of teachers, co-ordinators & parents.

IBBY Indonesia
The Magic of Reading in the Hands of Young People – Let Them Shine
Project centred on the concepts of peace, tolerance and inclusion through the creation of books for schools with Disabilities.

IBBY Lebanon
Library for Refugees
Establishment of a library at the Tahaddi teaching centre for refugees and providing library training to the teachers.

IBBY Malaysia
Bibliotherapy for Undocumented Children in East Malaysia: A Training for Trainers
A continuation of the IBBY Malaysia Yamada project in 2022, this new initiative focuses on the training of teachers and volunteers to conduct a bibliotherapy sessions with undocumented children.

IBBY Peru
Leer en familia (Reading in family)
Technical assistance to Los Olivos Municipality to implement a family support program that ensures the improvement of their parenting competencies through reading practices and book-centred activities.

IBBY Uganda
Developing Creative Writing Interest and Skills Among Children in Vulnerable Communities
To impart skills and promote composing and production of reading materials for children by children; To produce as many books as possible to help in the promotion and development of a reading habit among children, the youth and adults.

IBBY Venezuela
San Mateo Reads More and Better
Implementation of reading promotion actions in partnership with the Kunst Zonder Grenzen Foundation to make reading a permanent habit among children aged 7–14 in communities of San Matero, Anzoátegui State.

IBBY Zimbabwe
Empowering new authors for young people and children’s literature
Workshops and training sessions aiming at empowering authors nation-wide and promoting the creation of children’s contents with the involvement of publishers.

IBBY-Yamada Fund Projects 2023

IBBY-Yamada Fund Projects 2022

IBBY-Yamada Fund Projects 2021


Information about the IBBY-Yamada projects from 2006 to 2020 can be found in the Archives.