Around the world, there are millions of people who have never seen or held a new book. There are millions of schoolchildren who can learn only by sharing a single threadbare textbook. There are millions of people who have never been encouraged to read, or to escape into the pages of a book.

A book might seem like a small thing in the battle against inequality. But we see every day how books can spark a transformation. Books encourage people to question the world around them. They light up imaginations and ambitions. They give people power. With books, the quality of education soars and children reach their potential. With books, families fighting poverty learn new skills to grow businesses that thrive. With books, a better future feels more achievable than ever.

Books can provide hope in the darkest of times and offer a brief escape from past and current trauma. Habiba fled Afghanistan alone with her two children after her husband was killed. Now they live in northern Greece, and books are helping her family begin to rebuild. This is her story.

I have come from Afghanistan and I have two children. My son is five and my daughter is 10. In my country there was war. My husband was not a soldier. He went out and he did not come back. Some people killed him. And for my son it was dangerous. People wanted to take him. So I had to leave, I had to find a safe place for the children. I travelled through my country to Iran then to here. It was very hard to come so far and travel alone with two children.

We arrived in Greece four months ago. This camp is very good it is quiet and I can come to the library. It is a very good library.

I think for my children story books and alphabet books are good. I think the books are very good for me for my heart. Books are very good for relaxation. When I lived in Afghanistan I had so many books in my library! I had many cook books.

I have a lot of hope for my childrens future that there will be no war. Just peace.