Access
We enable access to quality educational programs that strengthen vulnerable minority communities.
Santali Reading Clubs
Two literacy workers started after schoool reading clubs in their local villages. They used books and reading materials produced in their own language to teach the children how to read. These reading clubs were a hit with the local community, and soon, the groups expanded to four workers leading clubs in five villages throughout the area reaching several hundred children. The monthly dues paid by the parents provided funds to publish and print more books and reading materials to circulate among the various reading clubs.
Book Bag Project
Literacy Initiatives provided logistical support in terms of the office space, computer and printer, and the practical training, but it was the initiative of five tribal young men that made it happen. These energetic and faithful teachers met monthly to develop reading materials and teaching supports (like flash cards and posters) which were then organized into twelve two-week reading units that each fit into its own shoulder bag. The Literacy workers then checked these bags out of a central hub (a chosen village in the area) so that they could be used in their village afterschool reading clubs. See the delight in the children’s faces as they discover the joy of reading in their own local language. Literacy Initiaives hopes to see this book bag project replicated in other areas, resourced by the local communities.