If education is the key to unlocking socioeconomic mobility, books are the turn of the wrist and push of the door. With this as our guiding principle we sought a partnership to equip the community with quality, interest aligned books. We were fortunate to connect with ‘The Kalam Library Project.’ Named after one of India’s most beloved presidents. Dr. Kalam considered books to be his best friends and wanted every village to have a library where youth could gain inspiration. The Kalam Library Project aims to fulfill Dr. Kalam's dream of creating access to books for every child in the nation.
On October 27th 2016, we unveiled our library of over 250 books, located within the computer centre we operate from. It was a rich ceremony, with honorary guests from the American Consulate, Taj Hotels, and Don Bosco reveling in tales of their favorite books and the important role they played in shaping their belief system and career.
Our initial experiences were positive. The books were a commodity and a new addition to the otherwise barren resources and stimuli available. Children quickly rummaged through the books, reciting facts and figures. Even our most energetic students would remain engaged for a short story. Over the coming months though, the interest waned. It was a viable alternative when the computers were occupied, but the English language was too big an obstacle to overcome for the older students, and there was a lack of age appropriate books for the younger students. The books were quickly riffled through and dismissed.
The books remained mostly idle, their presence alone, understandably was not enough to spur the movement to the paper and ink. We had to think of a strategy that demystified the process of reading, made the books more approachable, and ensured accessibility to the entire community. After some reflection, we proposed the following solutions:
- Hold storybook sessions and bring in storytellers. Illustrate the emotional connection to books and engage young readers.
- Demonstrate how to handle books; read the title, the chapter index, the synopsis on the back, smell the pages, skim through and envision the mystery that awaits.
- Invest in new coloring and activity books and add to our collection of Hindi and Bengali books.
- Create a safe learning environment. Hold open hours dedicated to reading in a quiet and soothing environment. Market these openings to the community.
We believe self assessment is a valuable skill and will continue to test out different strategies to make the most of the materials we have. We are also looking to expand our library collection, so if you have any lightly used or new books that you are willing to give forward, please feel free to reach out to us!
