Creative workshops with students from Suceava on International Children's Book Day

According to Eurostat, recent statistics show that Romania ranks last in the EU in terms of time spent reading. Only 6.2% of Romanians said they read every day, compared to the European average of 12%. Limited access to resources, educational gaps between urban and rural areas, and the replacement of books by mobile phones contribute to this worrying situation. 

At the same time, PISA studies show a low level of reading comprehension among Romanian students. About 42% of them do not reach the minimum functional literacy level, which implies difficulties in understanding simple instructions, essential information, or logical arguments. 

In this context, promoting reading becomes an important strategic effort for the ASSIST Humanitarian Foundation. Through our initiatives, we aim to develop critical thinking and improve academic and professional performance in the long term.

Interactive activities for students in Suceava 

This year, the ASSIST Humanitarian Foundation has turned the day of April 2nd into an educational opportunity for the students at Secondary School No. 8 Suceava. Our aim was to encourage reading as a constructive personal experience, not a school obligation. 

During the activity, the children explored the meaning of the International Children's Book Day, a celebration linked to the birthday of the famous Hans Christian Andersen. In addition, we discussed their favorite books and carried out creativity and imagination exercises. The conversations were followed by a collective reading moment, where our volunteers shared with them fragments from the book “500 amazing truths about Romania”. The children's curiosity quickly turned into dialogue through active participation with questions and stories. 

An interesting moment was the creative exercise where the pupils imagined their own book. They started by drawing covers, then chose titles and briefly narrated the story of their little imaginary universe. To support long-term interest and access to reading, the ASSIST Humanitarian Foundation donated to Secondary School No. 8 in Suceava a package of 354 books, offered by ASSIST Software employees. 

International Children's Book Day

International Children's Book Day is celebrated annually on the 2nd of April, in honor of the birthday of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, one of the best-known children's authors. The initiative was launched in 1967 by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) to encourage reading from a young age. 

This day is celebrated in different countries through reading workshops, book donation campaigns, author visits to schools, and library events. In Romania, initiatives dedicated to this day are usually organized by teachers and volunteers who work directly with pupils to bring them closer to books in an engaging way.