UNITWIN Affiliate Member Turns to Educational Books for Children

                             Photo: Andrew Werner

 Mina Mauerstein-Bail, affiliated with our network through the Sirleaf Market Women's Fund, has now branched out her educational initiatives to include authoring a series of children's books set in European and other countries that carry a message of tolerance and accepting diversity. 

The first volume of this series is set in Ferney-Voltaire, where Mina lived and worked with the United Nations for a number of years. It was there that she met Max and Voltaire, the main "characters" in her first book. 

Mina writes of her most recent work:

"Many years ago I was asked, “What is the best gift one can give to a child?”  I thought about this for a long time. I have come to the conclusion that the best gift would be to instill a sense of curiosity and kindness in children -curiosity about people and the world we live in and kindness, a virtue and a value that can turn despair into hope. The touching and humorous adventures of Max and Voltaire and their furry pals challenge us to think about how  embracing both the familiar and the different can make our lives interesting and rewarding and that no matter how bad a situation is, how it can change for the better."

She is contemplating Max and Voltaire "traveling" to Italy, where she was born, and to Dakar, Senegal, where she served with the United Nations Development Programme for several years.