Paraná, April 6, 2017 – Klabin concluded last week another stage of its program to encourage reading, with the delivery of Reading Corners under its Growing and Reading Project in the cities of Ortigueira, Imbaú, Rio Branco do Ivaí, Cândido de Abreu and Sapopema, all in the state of Paraná. The initiative aims to bring children aged 0 to 6 close to books by stimulating creativity and imagination and exchanging experiences, besides contributing to the success of Brazil’s National Pact for Literacy at the Right Age. Klabin formalized the donation of seven reading corners to five schools in these cities, which jointly formed a collection of 3,150 children’s books.

Teachers and other child education professionals were trained by Instituto Avisa Lá last year in courses to develop new techniques, management and planning of reading activities, encouraging the habit of reading among children, and to bring them closer to books in preparation for primary and secondary education. Parents participated in a two-hour story-telling workshop with an expert consultant and will be able to contribute and encourage reading habits among children not just at school, but also at home. In fact, the entire network of child education professionals in these cities received full training and is able and prepared to disseminate this knowledge, thereby enriching reading practice at schools.

A total of 1,430 children benefited from Klabin’s Growing and Reading Project. In Ortigueira, 958 children from the Mayor Nilson Gorski Municipal School were benefited. At the Mundo da Criança Child Education Municipal Center (CMEI) in Imbaú, 62 students welcomed the reading corners, as did 90 children from the Lápis de Cor Pre-School in Rio Branco do Ivaí. In Cândido de Abreu, 182 students from the Dr. David Federmann Municipal Primary and Secondary School were benefited. At the Helena Maciel de Melo Child Education School (CMEI) in Sapopema, 146 children gained access to the project.

Developed in partnership with NGO United Way Brasil and Instituto Avisa Lá, the Growing and Reading project has already reached 26 cities across seven states where Klabin operates. Since then, some 6,900 children have benefited and almost 10,000 books have been donated. The Project has already trained 500 nursery school professionals (teachers, support staff from the Department of Education, school principals and pedagogic coordinators).