1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,120 Hello and good morning. How are you doing today? Hey, good morning, 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,360 I am very well. How about yourself? Absolutely fantastic And it's such 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:10,400 a blessing to share conversation with you because you are changing people's lives, not 4 00:00:10,519 --> 00:00:13,199 just today, but I have a feeling this is going to be a generational 5 00:00:13,199 --> 00:00:15,960 thing that's going to happen, that's going to go long into the years, 6 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:22,239 well beyond us. That is what we're trying to achieve, lasting impact. 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:27,800 So I'm glad you think that that's the case as well, because it's what 8 00:00:27,839 --> 00:00:30,359 we're trying to achieve. One of the things that we need to do right 9 00:00:30,399 --> 00:00:34,280 off the start is what there's got to be a website for viewers and listeners 10 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,799 to go to so they could they can help you out, they can they 11 00:00:36,799 --> 00:00:39,600 can participate with with everything that's taking place, and I don't want to forget 12 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:47,640 to get that email address or website. So the website is a ww rescue 13 00:00:47,679 --> 00:00:53,840 dot org slash books for Ukraine. That's where people can learn more about this 14 00:00:53,960 --> 00:01:03,560 project and learn more about our work and also engage with our work. There's 15 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,719 so much destruction, disruption, but there's also calm and people can find that 16 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:15,799 through reading. Can't they they can, and it is true that there is 17 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:22,879 so much destruction. Two years into this conflict, after the full scale invasion 18 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:27,000 of Russia, we now see more than fourteen million people in need of humanitarian 19 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:33,480 assistance. There are three million children that are in need of humanitarian assistance. 20 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:40,560 Ten million Ukrainians had to flee their homes because of the violence and are now 21 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:48,879 living in neighboring countries. The Ukrainian economy is in disarray and there isn't really 22 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:56,920 enough funding for humanitarian assistance. So the world is really grim for Ukrainians, 23 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:02,239 and children often bear the brunz of these types of situations. So to have 24 00:02:02,319 --> 00:02:09,240 a project that helps children deal with the circumstances, takes them out of that 25 00:02:09,319 --> 00:02:14,840 world for a little while, has been really important for us. You know, 26 00:02:14,879 --> 00:02:17,199 when you talk about humanitarianism, one of the things we always think of 27 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:21,120 the food and the clothing in the water, but we don't ever think about 28 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:23,400 the books. You've got to be able to have a place where they can 29 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:30,520 learn communication and where they can learn lessons in life. That is so true. 30 00:02:30,719 --> 00:02:37,159 I mean, forty percent of the schools in Ukraine are destroyed. One 31 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:42,560 out of two Ukrainian school children is not going to school right now, and 32 00:02:42,599 --> 00:02:46,400 that is the same for the one point three million children that lives outside of 33 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:52,919 the Ukraine, and so their access to education, their access to books, 34 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:57,240 their access to books in their own language, has been so limited, and 35 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,479 that's where this project really makes a difference. Does this open the door for 36 00:03:00,599 --> 00:03:08,639 authors around the world to participate, Well, we clearly hope to generate an 37 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:15,680 impact through this project, and we hope to make more people Enterjestic for projects 38 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:23,759 like this. And if you see how children in London reacted to the to 39 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,840 the distribution of books and how they immediately engage with them, you know, 40 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:31,159 if I imagine myself to be a writer, I would want to be associated 41 00:03:31,159 --> 00:03:36,360 with a project like like absolutely, yeah, yeah, because I am an 42 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:40,520 author and I'm going why am I not participating with this? Well, that 43 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:46,039 is a good question, then we should talk. I wish you could see 44 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:51,439 our neighborhood for two years, sir. We have flags in support of Ukraine, 45 00:03:51,639 --> 00:03:54,360 and there's so many reasons why one of them there, Joe Lindsley is 46 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,960 still over in Ukraine right now as a journalist and refuses to come back. 47 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:00,960 He's over there to help them, the people of Ukraine and then we have 48 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,680 Ukrainian families here and we are all united, and so when I to be 49 00:04:04,719 --> 00:04:08,840 blessed with this opportunity to talk with you, I can't wait to sit down 50 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:13,800 and share it with them. Yeah, no, I think that is that's 51 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,319 a wonderful id. There are at the moment more than one hundred and seventy 52 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:25,920 six thousand Ukrainians in the United States that came through the United for Ukraine program 53 00:04:26,639 --> 00:04:31,279 that are being hosted by sponsors and by the families that you were just describing, 54 00:04:32,079 --> 00:04:36,160 And we imagine that a lot of these families would also really benefit from 55 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:43,560 you know, projects like this, would benefit from more volunteering support, really 56 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:48,040 from any effort that can help them integrate in their in their new environment. 57 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:55,600 The IRC is twenty nine offices in the United States. We work a lot 58 00:04:55,680 --> 00:05:00,480 with volunteers and with local communities to welcome Ukrainians and other people, uh that 59 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:05,560 have come here fleeing fleeing violence. So I think you made a very important 60 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:11,399 point there. You speak of the book distribution, does that also include apps 61 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,720 where the children and adults can download books. Because I'm one of those kindle 62 00:05:15,759 --> 00:05:17,160 people. I like it on you know, in a book format, but 63 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:25,079 I also like it on the candle. Yeah, there is definitely electronic distribution 64 00:05:25,879 --> 00:05:30,279 of the book is available as well. We actually have a partner, the 65 00:05:30,399 --> 00:05:36,759 Endless OS Foundation, that helps us do just that. Because some people read 66 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:42,600 books, other people read books in apps and through digital means, and we 67 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:46,120 really wanted to make sure that we could reach people, you know, wherever 68 00:05:46,199 --> 00:05:53,360 they are in their reading trajectory. And of course the digital distribution also has 69 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:58,120 expands the scope of a project like that in ways that a physical distribution, 70 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:03,000 uh, you know could not. What have you learned from this because you 71 00:06:03,079 --> 00:06:06,360 have to be a student, because I've once again I've never heard of anything 72 00:06:06,439 --> 00:06:10,800 like this in history. You are the student and you're teaching the rest of 73 00:06:10,879 --> 00:06:16,319 us. So what I've learned from the children, right, is that, 74 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:25,120 say, the joy of reading, being able to be connected to books is 75 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:30,720 so important. It's a simple, humane act, but it is so powerful. 76 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:36,439 But what I've also learned is that, say, supporting children, Ukrainian 77 00:06:36,519 --> 00:06:44,439 children and refugees requires partnerships like the one that we now have with HarperCollins, 78 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:49,360 with the Creative Art Agencies and with the Endless os Foundation. No one could 79 00:06:49,399 --> 00:06:55,959 have done this just by themselves. It really required these organizations to come together 80 00:06:57,079 --> 00:07:03,279 in the shared objective of supportingchildren in conflicts, and so yeah, there are 81 00:07:03,319 --> 00:07:09,360 a lot of learnings for us in this project as well. Wow, please 82 00:07:09,399 --> 00:07:13,040 come back to this show anytime in the future. This platform belongs to you 83 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:17,519 and we can reach the world through it. Thank you so much. It 84 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:23,519 was a pleasure speaking to you. You'd be brilliant today. Okay, thank you.