How we will utilise these books

As schools continue to remain closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, young children are at risk of losing out on achieving critical learning milestones. Across the state of Karnataka, Gram Panchayat libraries set up by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj provide informal learning spaces for children from 6 to 18 years of age. These libraries are being upgraded to include a children’s section, complete with age-appropriate storybooks in Kannada and other languages.

This innovative initiative aims to engage children across the state who have been at home for over a year now, with monthly timetables for children to visit the libraries in small groups and a librarian to help the children engage with the storybooks. The ambitious project seeks to bridge the learning gap by curating age-appropriate storybooks and reading materials, and through read-alouds and interactive sessions, cultivate a reading habit from an early age.

The funds raised from this crowdfunding campaign will be used to fill 130 Gram Panchayat libraries in Gadag, a district in North Karnataka. Each library includes 100 delightful Pratham Books storybooks in Kannada and other languages.

This campaign will directly impact over 152,483 children between 6 to 14 years of age, of which 2,442 are children with special needs.

Join us in Building a Reading India in collaboration with the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, Government of Karnataka.