BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — A non-profit organization is helping to make reading a way of life.
Links Philippines (LinksPH), a Baguio-based non-stock, non-profit organization, has been awarded the 2026 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award for its contributions to children’s literacy programs.
“This is really a turning point for our organization. To be recognized internationally is something… something that sometimes you cannot even believe could happen,” LinksPH Founder Ningning Doble shared.
The award was conferred at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, on August 7, 2026, gathering delegates from across the globe to celebrate nominees from nine featured countries. The Philippine delegation—led by Doble alongside members Jobet Calaquian (Board Member), Jieann Fabian (Program Coordinator), and Douglas Inness (Board Member)—was recognized for its impact and the establishment of 31 reading hubs across the country.
The IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award is widely regarded as one of the highest international honors in children’s literacy. Established in 1986 and administered by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in partnership with Japanese newspaper company Asahi Shimbun, the biennial award recognizes outstanding projects run by groups or institutions that have made lasting contributions to reading promotion programs for children and young people. The award includes a USD 10,000 grant from IBBY to support the group’s ongoing work for Filipino children.
“It will open doors to funders, to collaborators, and to other countries that may benefit from what we’re doing. Our model can work in any country, especially in developing nations,” Doble said.
For LinksPH, this international nod marks a defining milestone. Both Doble and Fabian emphasized that global recognition gives the organization vital credibility when pitching to prospective international donors, institutional partners, and global collaborators.
Fabian added that the recognition serves as concrete validation of their community-centered framework: “Yung sa kahalagahan nung award, ‘yun nga, ‘yung credibility kasi nadagdagan. Since recognized na internationally, parang it’s easier to pitch to future partners and donors. We now have international proof that what we are doing is right and that it is truly dedicated to the children.”
The story of LinksPH started when Doble, while volunteering for another group, saw public elementary school learners struggling to read without adequate support. Inspired to take action, she set out to establish a local movement.
“Ang nakita ko kasi, common among the schools are nahihirapan ang batang magbasa,” Doble recalled. “At the same time, sabi ko, maybe may way. Nagkataong nakakuha ako ng books donation, sabi ko, ‘pwede pala ito.’ So it started there, donation lang noong una.”
In 2016, she and her fellow advocates founded Links Philippines, building real community partnerships and turning simple book drives into a structured literacy movement.
To scale up their library builds, LinksPH brought in corporate allies like the Philippine Center for Print Excellence Foundation (PCPEF), introduced by Manila-based Chinese businessmen, and the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA), alongside industry partners such as Boysen Paints, BMC, and AnchorTech.
In 2022, LinksPH built its flagship Hook on Books (HOB) library at Indawak Elementary School in Camp 1, Tuba, Benguet. Funded by an initial £1,000 seed grant from Better World Books UK, the team spent a full year hauling construction materials up steep mountain trails, saving up funds month after month to finish piece by piece. The lessons learned from that rugged build helped LinksPH streamline its construction process: once a full team and complete resources are mobilized, they can build and launch a full library in as fast as three days.
To date, LinksPH has established 31 Hook on Books libraries nationwide, with four more set for completion this year. Overall, the group has reached 26,000 children, donated 205,000 books, and mobilized 1,000 volunteers across the country.
Five of these newly completed facilities actively serve Baguio City public schools, starting with the milestone 20th HOB at Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School, followed by Gibraltar Elementary School, Fort Del Pilar Elementary School, Quezon Hill Elementary School, and Elpidio R. Quirino Elementary School.
Field interviews with teachers and parents show that the impact on Baguio’s school communities has been profound and multi-layered.
“Yung mga bata, very eager naman sila kasi more on storybooks ang nandiyan sa HOB. Atsaka yung structure at mismong mural nila, mas nai-engganyo sila magbasa, and more on reading talaga without gadgets,” said Analyn, Librarian at Fort Del Pilar Elementary School. “We are really thankful to Links Philippines for choosing our school to be funded by them,” she added.
A major driver of this local growth has been the active backing of community leaders, including Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who has helped fully fund HOB projects by leveraging local government resources and prioritizing functional literacy centers across the city. In addition to local government support, the team’s commitment gained national recognition through the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Search for Outstanding Volunteers (SOV) Awards.
Looking ahead, LinksPH is eager to build more HOB facilities, though they remain clear-eyed about their limits as an organization powered almost entirely by working volunteers. To scale sustainably without burning out, the team is rolling out two key initiatives: HOB Light and HOB Barangay.
HOB Light is designed specifically for remote or hard-to-reach areas like Mindanao, where setting up physical infrastructure is logistically difficult and costly. Structured as an all-inclusive kit, it packages custom paint guides, exact “mix-your-own-pace” color instructions, video tutorials on painting, and a community workshop framework that equips locals to run and manage their own reading spaces independently.
HOB Barangay focuses on creating specialized training programs for barangay leaders and youth officers. By teaching local officials how to organize, design, and run attractive, engaging reading centers, LinksPH ensures that literacy programs thrive directly within neighborhood communities.
For a team that started with no expectations of accolades, being acknowledged on the world stage provides a massive boost of confidence while dedicating the honor back to the grassroots communities that made it possible.
“We’re accepting this on behalf of all our partners—the local government units, the teachers, the communities, parents, and the private sector,” Doble said. “And of course, this is our tribute to all the children we’re helping. Para sa kanila naman talaga ‘to.” Maria Elena Catajan with reports from Noemi Salatic (UC Intern)
