(Community based interactive reading programme for children with the help of adults including young mothers and youth from marginalised communities in Bhopal and Raisen districts of Madhya Pradesh)

A thriving Reading Room in a community can acts as a hub for the education of the children, and especially if the community is involved in running the Reading Room. This is especially true for first generation school goers in the rural areas as well as underserved communities living in Bastis in the urban areas. We have found that:

• Functional libraries in schools/communities provide an impetus for the children to learn and develop
• When various members of the community or a family are seen to find pleasure in reading, it provides children motivation to read for the sake of enjoyment
• Reading beyond textbooks helps the children to develop their creative and cognitive abilities.  

In 2018, Eklavya started a “community based interactive-reading-room” programme called “Padho-Likho-Maza Karo” in the rural and urban areas around Bhopal, viz.  Bagroda, Barkheda Pathani, Adampur Chhavni, Chor Sagoni, Dobra-Sagoni, Khajuri Kala, Kirat Nagar, and Kokta (8 villages/Bastis in Bhopal and Raisen districts). 

Padho-Likho-Maza Karo initiative:

• Helps 300 children with access to age-appropriate reading material in a child-friendly environment
• Provides 100 adults access to reading material, world of information, knowledge, and joyful reading
• Reading Room is housed in a space selected by the community which is accessed by the children going to various schools
• Reading Room and its activities are facilitated by volunteers from the community.
• At the Reading Room day-to-day activities range from read-aloud, storytelling, poems, origami and very many such activities.
• Reading Rooms have a periodic event that involves children as well as young mothers and youth around activities like storytelling, plays, discussions, and debates etc.
• Padho Likho Maza Karo organises an annual reading fair to introduce the world of children’s literature to the community             

This programme has a goal of reaching to about 500 children, and 200 parents. These villages/Bastis, so close to the capital city but far off from the socio-economic development, are often found neglected in the outreach due to its proximity to the city-centre.

Padho Likho Maza Karo (project) is supported by Millennium Alliance, New Delhi.