Having setup 150 libraries in underprivileged schools & communities across the length & breadth of India, 15 libraries in Kenya and 3 in Nepal, the Project IAHV Read Library encourages school children to develop the habit of reading widen their knowledge, skills and imagination beyond curriculum text books. Books availed in many languages: Kannada, Gujarati, Hindi, English, Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Swahili, Braille & Digital books.

Challenge

Libraries are temples of knowledge, and they are not given due attention in under privileged schools due to lack of funds and/or resources. Many schools do not have libraries and children are poor to buy books of their own. They are denied the joy of reading and expanding their mind. India is an old civilisation and at the same time, a young nation with huge challenges. Education is the key to creating a knowledgeable, confident work force for the future.

Long-Term Impact

Amongst multiple dimensions of long term impact; here are 2 for simplicity: 1. Scale - 105 libraries have been setup. 15 in pipeline for this year. In next 5 years, around 600 libraries are planned to be opened in India, Nepal & Sri Lanka. 200k children will get access to c. 180K quality books. 2. Transformation: Libraries are a key component of a knowledge-based-society. An educated child transforms the economic & social well being of the family and is an aware, responsible global citizen.

References

1. http://www.iahv.org.uk/project/read-library/
2. http://facebook.com/readlibrary
3. http://www.iahv.org.uk/project/read-library/

Additional Documentation

https://www.globalgiving.org//pfil/34764/projdoc.docx

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