StoryWeaver: Support us in providing book security for every child

The right to read. To learn. To discover… It’s what every child deserves.

The pandemic has adversely affected a billion students. In many parts of the developing world, children still lack access to books in their mother tongue, that they can easily read, understand, and learn from. The disruption of education systems due to COVID-19 has deepened inequities, creating a learning crisis impacting up to 99% of students in low and lower-middle income countries.

The need for inclusive, open access to high-quality, multilingual storybooks and story-based learning resources for children is more urgent than ever.

As part of our efforts to bridge the learning gap that began in the pandemic, we are leveraging technology, our repository of multilingual open-licensed books, and our wonderful network to quickly pivot and create programmes and resources that can be used in resource-scarce environments.

We have already begun to put together resources for students, including:

• Foundational Literacy Programme: 180 books across 6 reading levels for Grades 1-3
• Reading Programme: Available in 6 languages to support reading development
• Localised resources: Facilitated translation of 6,000 books in 130 language
• Readalongs: 650+ AV books across 5 languages to aid language acquisition

StoryWeaver has been working at scale with the CBSE to implement its Reading Mission, a 2-year initiative to promote reading literacy across 26,000 schools by encouraging children to actively engage with storybooks. It has also been working with UNICEF, MSCERT and Integrated Child Development Services to launch Goshticha Shaniwar, a statewide reading programme in Maharashtra which shared 300 books with 25 lakh children.

Under the Padhe Bharat campaign, we partnered with the SCERT Punjab for a state-wide Reading Programme in English, Hindi and Punjabi to address both the importance of foundational learning as the basis for a child’s future education.

At Pratham Books’ StoryWeaver, we believe that every child has the right to read. With your help, we can do even more to bridge the gap between children and the books they sorely need. By drawing upon the best of technology and open licensing, we hope that children have uninterrupted access to the books they so richly deserve to read and enjoy. Not just today, but every day.