Yesterday we shared the story of a bus driver who surprised kids with hundreds of books for the summer. What a beautiful way to share the love of reading and books with children! We are often tempted to put a smile on a child’s face by grabbing the latest trendy gadget off the store shelf, but as parents, we know how short lived that excitement will be. A book on the other hand, while it may not have the initial “wow factor” that a flashy hand spinner does, will be cherished by that child and may be passed on to another child as well. A story can turn into a play, a lesson, an inspiration for a drawing or a story of their own. There’s no shortage of goodness that comes from sharing a book.

That’s why we’re excited to bring to you a great opportunity to share books with children in need. With the influx of refugees to the Washington DC area, one local organization has done some amazing work to support the needs of this new community. Mozaic was developed to provide the support resettled families need to achieve a healthy and speedy adjustment from where they were to where they are now. Mozaic is staffed by a small army of dedicated volunteers who go above and beyond the call of duty. They have organized bake sales to help empower refugee women to make a living, registered adults for classes to gain skills for employment, furnished homes for newly resettled families, and so much more (see their Facebook page for their amazing work). On their list is a plan to build a small library for the children of these refugee families, and we couldn’t be happier to support them. A library will become a safe space for children to read, imagine, and explore and Arabic books will help some of those children reconnect with their native language and culture.  

How can you help? Simple!

1. Check out our Maktabatee collection and select the books you want to donate to the Mozaic children’s library. You don’t have to be in the USA or Canada to participate!
2. At checkout, enter the Mozaic address: 21051 Thoreau Ct, Sterling, VA 20164.
3. On the next page, select the standard shipping option (we will refund shipping costs right away!)
4. Use discount code MOZAIC to receive 10% off your donation order. 
5. Complete the order and we will do the rest!  (Please don't combine personal orders with donation orders as they will not be processed correctly. Discount code and free shipping apply to donation orders only.)

We will deliver the books to Mozaic and look forward to seeing the library open in the near future. We hope to participate in storytime activities and provide any support we can to keep the library up and running. We know the Maktabatee community loves reading and loves Arabic, now it’s time to share that love with others!