A world of books for children in Thailand

While most of the children in rural areas of Thailand have the possibility to attend primary and secondary schools in their local communities, the educational infrastructure in the poorer regions of the country is fragile and rudimentary. We set up a project to close these gaps step by step by enhancing children’s reading skills and improving their prospects: The NIVEA “Blue Libraries”. Last month we opened the 8th library in Thailand, while there are another nine “Blue Libraries” in South East Asia: seven in Vietnam and two in Myanmar. Our latest one is situated in the Samut Prakan Province south-east of Bangkok.

The “Blue Libraries” are part of our global social initiative “NIVEA cares for family” – and are inspiring places for children specifically designed to meet their needs. NIVEA funds the library construction and equips them with colorful, child-friendly furniture and books. Each library hosts a variety of up to 1,000 children’s books and a play area offers additional room to engage in other fun activities. “We started our initiative in 2011. Our aim is to improve both the children’s verbal and reading skills, and thereby to open a whole new world of knowledge and inspiration to them. It is great to see how delighted the children are and that we can make a real difference for the schools and families with our engagement”, explains Kai-Boris Bendix, Managing Director South East Asia.

In the center of the initiative: Our NIVEA employees. They are actively engaged in the projects, collect books from their private surroundings and organize donation events. Our affiliates work closely together with the local schools where a “Blue Library” is to be set up and we also coordinate the planning with the local government authorities. In a festive opening ceremony – as it just took place in Samut Prakan – the “Blue Library” is then handed over to the school, thus giving the children a place to learn, dream and discover the world.