Core Libraries
Core libraries represent the primary working model of Lilipad. To this day, we continue to perfect it to ensure that we bring genuine value to our communities. Since 2017, we have learnt from our experience in the field and gathered valuable lessons along the way. First, opening a children’s library is hardly enough as it needs to be adequately supported in order for it to be impactful. Second, we rely on a committed Local Champion on the ground to ensure that our spaces remain engaging and effective. Within core libraries, we provide multi-year educational support in the form of educational workshops and reading engagement activities. We are continuously involved in designing and implementing these activities in cooperation with our partners.
Through our core libraries, we utilise the power of reading to support children affected by social injustice.
Our core program
We partner with local institutions such as refugee shelters, orphanages, community centres and schools, and use a tailored approach to support their communities of children with inclusive books and learning opportunities.
1. Connect with local institutions
We establish meaningful partnerships with local institutions such as refugee shelters, orphanages, community centres or schools. We work closely with their teams to get an in-depth insight into the needs of their community.
2. Install a Lilipad Library
Our partner institutions provide a space that we turn into a children’s library. Our libraries are stocked with multilingual storybooks and educational materials. If needed, Lilipad also provides textbooks either in the libraries or directly to the children.
3. Provide long-term support
Once our libraries are opened, we organise workshops, events and external support to ensure they remain lively and engaging spaces. We collect feedback from the children along the way to ensure that we regularly restock the library with the books they enjoy the most.
In Berlin, our multilingual libraries are dedicated to refugee and migrant children.
2.2 million refugees live in Germany (UNHCR), including a high proportion of children, who are almost always subject to educational, linguistic and social disadvantages. While Berlin has historically been a welcoming city for refugees and asylum seekers, the city is currently struggling to adequately support this population which has grown dramatically since the war in Ukraine (DW article).
Our activities started in Berlin in 2018 with the sole aim to bridge the educational gap that affects refugee and migrant children. Lilipad is the only Berlin nonprofit bringing multilingual books and children’s libraries directly to refugee accommodations (Gemeinschaftunterkünfte). Our goal is to design accessible, warm and safe spaces where children and parents can come to read and learn. We bring joy and laughter to these accommodations that are often stern and isolated from the city centre.
Our Core Libraries in Berlin
Berlin core libraries for refugee and migrant children represent our original model and the essential focus of our organisation. Typically, a core library partnership lasts between 1 and 5 years, a period during which we continuously supply the library with new books and materials, and most importantly run engaging educational experiences. Once a core library has matured and can be run independently, it becomes a satellite library. You can read more about our satellite libraries here.
GU Haarlamerstraße
Lilipad library opened in August 2021 in one of the largest refugee accommodations in Berlin (Britz-Neukölln).
In partnership with:
GU Kiefholzstrasse
Lilipad library opened in June 2022 in a refugee accommodation located in the neighbourhood of Alt-Treptow.
In partnership with:
BENN Wartenberg
Our latest Lilipad core library was opened in October 2022 in a new community centre serving migrant families (Lichtenberg).
In partnership with:
In Morocco, we provide critical educational support to young girls affected by a tough background.
The school system in Morocco has been following a steady trend towards privatisation, with 70 to 80% of primary-age children in large cities going to private schools (Le Monde). This exodus towards private schools has left the public system under-resourced and plagued by a deteriorating quality of education. This has a direct impact on children from lower classes and particularly girls.
After opening a first Moroccan library at Lakhdara Primary School in 2017, we partnered with Le Centre de Sauvegarde de l’Enfance Abdesselam Bennani to open a second library in 2018. This centre provides shelter, schooling and/or vocational training to young girls and teenagers who have either had issues with the justice system or could be cared for by their families. This library has flourished to become one of our most successful, thanks to the dedication of our Lilipad Librarian Samira
Support our mission
Education is the single most powerful tool to lift children out of poverty. If you would like to support our mission through a partnership or funding, reach out to us.