IBBY Canada is holding its biennial Hot, Hot Cuba! fundraiser this Wednesday at a Toronto club. In the past, the evening of live music and salsa dancing has raised money to help children in Cuba, because IBBY Canada was twinned with IBBY in Cuba. This year, however, the organization is extending its reach a little further to include IBBY’s Children in Crisis Fund.

The fund is a new initiative intended to help children in areas affected by war, civil disruption, or natural disaster. Money raised will be used for bibliotherapy (the therapeutic use of books and storytelling) and to collect or replace collections of books. The first project to receive is about to begin in Lebanon with future projects planned for places such as Afghanistan, Darfur, Gaza, Iraq, and northern Uganda.

Click here for details.