Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA) provides educational and cultural support and emergency humanitarian aid in 7 countries and 8 regions of Asia so that every child can receive an education. Its mission is a peaceful ("shanti") society where people can "live together and learn together," and it believes that learning through books becomes the strength to live, nurtures peace of mind and eventually opens up the future.
Its starting point was educational and cultural support at a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand in 1980. It was established on December 10, 1981 and later expanded its work to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Nepal and elsewhere. It reports having built 475 schools, set up 1,096 libraries and reading rooms, and published 698 picture book titles. In 1999 it also started the Picture Books Delivery Campaign, in which supporters make translated picture books to send.
In Japan, it has carried out emergency humanitarian aid in disaster-affected areas at home and abroad since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Since 2020 it has also been creating safe gathering places for children with roots abroad. Everyday ways to take part are available too, such as Craft Aid, where fair trade shopping supports learning.
Key points
- Supports libraries, schools and picture book publishing together, aiming to build a culture of reading and improve the quality of education
- More than 40 years of work, including 475 schools built and 1,096 libraries and reading rooms set up
- Easy ways for anyone to take part in international cooperation, such as the Picture Books Delivery Campaign and Craft Aid
Why this organization deserves attention
So that children can learn even amid conflict, disaster and poverty, it works with residents and local authorities to prepare books and materials, people who bring learning, safe places to learn, and opportunities to encounter learning. It describes practical, locally rooted efforts such as publishing books in local languages.
The Picture Books Delivery Campaign, in which translated picture books are made, has run since 1999 as a form of international cooperation that can be done at home. Besides donating, people can send goods, shop or join events, so it is easy to choose how to take part.
Editor's comment
A single picture book is a tool for learning to read and write, and also a window onto an unfamiliar world. SVA's work conveys a persistent effort to open that window close to children's everyday lives.
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