Create Children’s Focused Initiatives in Gram Panchayats

Objective of the Project:

Continue the existing child friendly libraries, provide career information and life skills orientations to schools children. Develop 15 new child friendly libraries 5 each in Dindigal and Tirunelveli Districts of Tamil Nadu and 1 in Chickabalapura district in Karnataka.

Process:

A) Child friendly Library: Continue the existing 15 libraries with adding 75 to 100 new books.

Adding new libraries - Selection of 10 Panchayats in TN, 1 in Karnataka which are willing to house and sustain child friendly libraries in their Panchayats. These will be used by children who live in the villages under the panchayats.

The panchayats will be selected in consultation with former Samaj Shilpis who are willing to spare time to help children in reading. The Hippocampus methodology of color coding and graded reading and assessment that RIM has used successfully in school libraries will also be used in these libraries.

The Samaj Shilpis and a couple of youths of the panchayat will be trained in the methodology.

After six months the panchayat should be able to add more child friendly books and ensure the continuation of the library with the help of panchayat youths.

The youths help in formation of children sangha (sangam) in the new panchayat. 

We needed the funds to do the monitoring of the project

We have setup 26 child friendly libraries in 26 gram panchayat and periodically have the career information given to the youths

Outcome: 26 libraries functioning in 26 panchayats managed by 26 children’s sanghas and the youth.

Improvement in children’s reading level. 

Children develop an interest in reading

Outcome: The students are informed of the various career options and make an informed choice.