Ana from her Facebook

UNICEF ambassador Ana is supporting relief efforts in the Horn of Africa. People in Serbia can send an SMS to 9009 to donate 50 dinars. 4.8million dinars has been raised so far.

UNICEF event interview transcripts

The following is a selection of translated transcripts from interviews Ana gave to Serbian media on Friday during her UNICEF appearance at a Belgrade bookstore:

Novosti newspaper:

I liked Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Diary of Anne Frank. We’ve always had compulsory reading, though I didn’t like it that much. I enjoyed more the books I chose myself. I know that everybody prefers playing games to reading books in leisure time. It’s not bad also, but you should find a balance in everything. Books are closer to real life.

I would love to have my own library, the same as the one from the Beauty and the Beast cartoon. I gathered hundreds of books, but they are all over the place. I hope to make that dream come true one day.

Blic newspaper:

I am flattered to be a UNICEF ambassador since I have always wanted to help children and I am happy that tennis made this situation possible through the ‘School without Violence’ program. It is really a big problem for us, as 65 per cent of children are hurt in one way or another or attacked in school. So many schools joined this programme, there have been tremendous positive changes and it helps me and gives huge inspiration indeed.

Story magazine:

I think it’s nice that I can take a recommendation from you and recommend you something, I think it is really wonderful, for example I had a chance to visit a bookstore in Stanford and to spend some time even with younger children and to read some children’s books, so I was very surprised to hear that only every fifth child in our country has a children’s book.

It is something shocking indeed and it would be nice to change it because through books children learn some basic things.

I prefer reading a romantic story if I am on vacation, relaxing by the pool. Also, I like true stories as I think we can learn a lot from them. I have read a couple of very inspiring books, such as those about or by people who survived an accident, or something that happened to them on a holiday, on a mountain, and it is something that motivates and inspires you.

There are many books I have read which I like, some of those are The Rice Mother, written by Rani Manicka; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

I like to immerse myself in a book, trying to imagine myself in that situation or try to have a conversation with someone. That’s why I sometimes don’t like to watch a movie after I read a book as you see things from a different perspective but I am sure that I impersonated myself with the characters from the books. There were various characters but I remember one of the first was Cinderella, I love that story.

I have even read a few autobiographies of players, for example Monika Seles, as I started playing tennis because of her. There are many things to which I can find a connection.

Books have helped me a lot, for instance to assess one’s character in some situations and to learn how somebody else can think differently since there is always not only your side of a story but somebody else’s. Perhaps someone reacts cheekily, it doesn’t have to be personal as that person might have had a tough day or something happened to him or her that caused such a reaction, so that’s what I have learned.

I have hundreds of books for sure, they are all over the place, but it is very hard travelling with books, bags are always heavy, my dad keeps complaining ‘how heavy your bag is’ and I say ‘shut up, books are inside!’.

Source : Official Website

Ana from her Facebook

Friday's UNICEF event in Belgrade was a lot of fun. Reading is something that is very close to my heart, and I enjoyed discussing books with the children, and learning about their attitudes towards reading.

Facebook

Ana Ivanovic UNICEF Video

Ana Ivanovic in UNICEF: Importance of reading and education among children

Ana Ivanovic, a well-known tennis player and National Ambassador of UNICEF, today held a public class with students from ten primary schools participating in the program "School without Violence" and talking with children about the importance of reading and education. Powwow is held in Delphi bookstore in the Student Cultural Center where our tennis player revealing what children love to read, who are her favorite writers and books with which she grew up.

'Reading habits are created in childhood. And now I remember what I read when I was a child. Many books have had a major impact on my life and how I grow and develop. I was fortunate to have picture books and books at home. It's terrible and unacceptable to Serbia, and even today every fifth child under the age of five years does not have any picture books at home, "said Ana.

Ana has all of the attending students as a gift was handed a book publishing house Laguna, and the return of each child received a promise that they will regularly to read and to stimulate their peers to discover new books.

Publishing House Laguna donated all the children present library card readers book club.

Ana Ivanovic named UNICEF National Ambassador to Serbia-2007th year, supports and promotes the program "School without Violence". S vojim personal donations, Ana Ivanovic is provided to 16 schools in Serbia involved in this program, which aims to create a safe and stimulating environment for learning and development of children.