Seeking to encourage reading habits within marginalized communities, the We Love Reading (WLR) program includes the creation of local libraries and the training of women to organize reading aloud groups. The initiative began in 2006 in Jordan and spread worldwide thanks to financial support from the United States Agency for International Development – USAID, the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), The Fetzer Institute and Reliance Way.

The entire implementation process is based on women’s ability to foster a work dynamic in their local environment. The program is not intended to provide standardized tools but to empower actors to find their own way. This means that they need to identify opportunities and threats at the local level and that they have some solutions in mind. The Foundation gives them the necessary analytical tools and other elements based on their experience. In this way, the actors (preferably women) become leaders in their community and participate in raising awareness at the local level regarding the value of books.

After the first stages of working with women, the creation of a library can be initiated. They must be freely accessible and open to the community. In fact, there is a principle of using existing public spaces such as community centers. The WLR Foundation chooses and provides books according to local characteristics so that they can be adapted for future readers.