The national program "Read Me 100 Stories" has been launched in kindergartens across Moldova
Chișinău, 10.04.25 – UNICEF, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Research, the OvidiuRo Association, and the National Children’s Library "Ion Creangă," has launched the national interactive reading program “Read Me 100 Stories.” As part of the program, kindergartens have set up "reading islands" – cozy spaces for storytelling and listening to stories, both indoors and outdoors. UNICEF has also provided 22 book titles to 1,200 kindergartens across the country.
The program was launched at the “Regina Maria” kindergarten in Ialoveni, where the Minister of Education, Dan Perciun, together with Maha Damaj, UNICEF Representative in Moldova, and Her Excellency Fern Horine, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, engaged with parents and children through storytelling.
“By launching the national program Read Me 100 Stories, we are taking an essential step in the right direction – cultivating a love for reading from the earliest years of life. We have a duty to change the reality in which only one-third of parents read regularly to their children. Together with our partners – UNICEF, the OvidiuRo Association, and the Ion Creangă National Library for Children – we aim to bring books into the lives of every child in the Republic of Moldova. Early reading means a better start in life, a solid education, and, ultimately, a more equitable and future-ready society,” emphasized Dan Perciun, Minister of Education and Research.
The Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Her Excellency Fern HORINE, added: “It is wonderful to see children actively participating in reading sessions. This will help them discover new emotions, experiences, and lessons that will support their personal development. I am glad that the United Kingdom is supporting this project, as we advocate for quality education for all children, including those who have taken refuge from Ukraine.”
“As I’ve learned over the years, you have a powerful expression in Moldova — “cei șapte ani de acasă”. These are the early years, when children begin to grow roots. It’s when they quietly, often unconsciously, learn the difference between the good, the bad, and the ugly. The books we read to children during these years matter. They shape how children relate to others, how they manage emotions, how they ask questions, and how they begin to form their own sense of right and wrong. And that’s what makes “100 Stories” so much more than a literacy campaign. It’s a values-based investment in our future”, was mentioned during the event by Maha DAMAJ, the UNICEF Representative in Moldova.
The "Read Me 100 Stories" program promotes reading within families and kindergartens as a central element in early education and the harmonious development of children.
Approximately 650 preschool teachers and managerial staff from kindergartens across the country participated in training sessions led by the OvidiuRo Association.
During the sessions, participants explored the role of reading in the emotional, cognitive, and social development of children, ways to create attractive reading corners in kindergartens, criteria for selecting suitable books, and methods for involving families in storytelling from the early years of life.
Through this program, reading becomes a daily habit and a bridge connecting children, educators, and parents.
Media contacts
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org
Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook
