Libraries for Poor Children in India

Daan Utsav 100 Heroes GiveIndia Fundraisers

We thank all our donors who have helped us raise Rs. 4. 68 lakh during Daan Utsav- 100 Heroes campaign. Thanks to them we have received a matching grant of Rs. 1.02 lakh including Gift Backs. We also took part in GiveIndia Fundraisers Challenge 2020 in February-March 2020 and received good support from donors helping us to raise Rs. 3 lakh and a matching grant of Rs. 0.40 lakh. All in all GiveIndia Partners have helped raise an amount of over Rs. 9 lakh in the very difficult year of Covid-19. Of course, major credit goes to our donors who participated in the two fundraising campaigns. We are eagerly looking forward to receiving over $ 6,000 from GlobalGiving Foundation as approval of Govt. of India is said to be in its final stage.

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalays (KGBVs)

We have established 123 BREAD Children’s Libraries in KGBVs, girls residential schools set up in backward Mandals with poor women’s literacy for dropouts, orphans, single parent and indigent girls. In the month of February 2021, we are setting up 72 more libraries in KGBVs adding up to 195 in one and half years. Total number of libraries set up in the last 12 years will be 1,504 by the end of February 2021.

Monitoring of BREAD Children’s Libraries

We have started monitoring the performance of our libraries by canvassing a questionnaire by making telephone calls and requesting Head Masters and Library Teachers to read Karadeepika, a handbook of guidance for operating our libraries and sending us lists of Voluntary Student Librarians (VSLs) who manage the libraries by lending books to classmates to take home, read and return. This survey of obtaining information from over 1,500 schools is expected to be completed by June-July 2021. We propose to award Certificates of volunteerism to VSLs to be countersigned by Head Masters of library schools.