STOCKHOLM, March 24 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian educational organization on Tuesday won the 2009 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature, the world's highest children's book award.

    Tamer Institute For Community Education, a non-profit educational organization in Palestinian territory, mainly focuses on the rights to education, identity, and access to information.

    "The institute is one of the best promoters of reading active on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," the award jury spokesman told a press conference in Vimmerby, hometown of the beloved Swedish children's writer Astrid Lindgren, where the awards were announced.

    "With perseverance, audacity and resourcefulness, the Tamer Institute has, for two decades, stimulated Palestinian children's and young adults' love of reading and their creativity," a statement said.

    "Under difficult circumstances, the institute carries out reading promotion of an unusual breadth and versatility," the statement added.

    The institute was established in 1989 as a natural and necessary response to the urgent needs of the Palestinian community.

    It works across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, primarily targeting children and young people and developing alternatives and supplements to formal education.

    The award, including a cash prize of 5 million kronor (about 600,000 U.S. dollars), was established by the Swedish government in 2002 in memory of Lindgren, who died that same year.

    Lindgren's novel Pippi Longstocking, which tells the story of a strong-willed girl with braided hair, freckles and mismatched stockings, has captivated generations of children around the world.

    This year's award will be presented by Swedish Crown Princess Victoria at a ceremony in the Stockholm Concert Hall on June 2.