OUR PROJECTS
Library Development Program (LDP)
Our Library Development Program (LDP) helps in the systematic establishment of libraries in rural and remote schools across India. The structured curriculum consists of read-aloud Storytelling sessions, book browsing, and borrowing activities, library committee elections, and a library orientation program. We focus on the 4Cs of Learning Skills i.e., Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity, and Communication which would enhance the student’s motivation, confidence, emotional development, and acquire an appreciation for other perspectives. The LDP advocates for quality education by focusing on the three main pillars –
-
Quality (books and program material to improve reading skills)
-
Pedagogy (Creative teaching through devoted Volunteers)
-
Good Governance (Maintaining a standard Monitoring and Evaluation process)
Mission 100
Mission 100 started as a flagship program of SABIA to achieve educational equity for children studying across remote and rural areas of India. We believe that the road to freedom is paved with books and reading is the foundation on which the education of these children stands. With mission 100, we aim towards universal quality education, including in rural areas by setting up libraries in these schools. We wish to fill the gap between rural and urban youth and create a positive change.
Libraries for Kashmir
In collaboration with the 28RR unit of the Indian Army, we are setting up libraries in 20 schools in the Kupwara district in Kashmir. Our mission is to set up libraries in government and low-resourced schools of Lolab Valley to inculcate a reading habit among the students. We were able to make this project, and hope to do so continuously, because of the Indian Army and Hindustan Unilever. With time, we will be training teachers and providing them with resources to make libraries centers of creative learning for our children.
Model school libraries
After working with different types of schools across India, we are now creating a vibrant and visually appealing space for our children. Setting up model libraries is a step in this direction. Multiple schools have the space/room provisioned for a library but are not able to utilize it. We aim to refurbish these rooms into warm, welcoming, and beautiful spaces for children to read and engage with books. Apart from that, these libraries will have a diverse and rich collection for children to get introduced to different themes. The librarian will receive full support from SABIA through training and carrying out different activities with children thus making libraries a place for children to enquire, express and educate themselves.
Teacher Training Program
It has been observed that teachers do not have formal training in library practices to develop a love for reading and nurturing human engagement among children. Our teacher training program aims to provide in-depth knowledge of library management and guidance on read-aloud storytelling sessions, to further implement our LDP. We are developing a curriculum for conducting a series of sessions with teachers for them to better understand their libraries and take the same experience to students. We hope this will guide the teachers to develop a vision for their libraries and help them smoothly manage it.
Advocacy
It’s crucial for students to achieve Foundational Literacy and Numeracy skills by Grade 5. To ensure this, the central government has put in a lot of schemes, such as the ‘Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat’ scheme under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. This scheme was launched in 2014 and planned to improve language development by creating an interest in reading and writing with comprehension. It also aimed to create a natural and positive interest in mathematics related to the physical and social world. Under this scheme monetary aid to run a library shall be given to government schools to instill reading habits among students of all ages.
However, a survey conducted by SABIA in March 2022 found that over 50 government-run schools in Rajasthan have seen a systematic failure in the execution of the government program. Through advocacy, SABIA wants to raise awareness about the PBBB scheme amongst all stakeholders so that school principals and students can demand effective implementation of the scheme in their schools. SABIA wants to bring the students and their parents to the forefront of its campaign through capacity-building and community mobilization activities.
Kitaab Utsav
A literary festival to celebrate a shared love of books amongst children and young reading enthusiasts across different cities.
Kitab Utsav is an annual flagship event of SABIA where a book sale fundraiser is organized. The whole festival is like a mela, except it’s for books - there are games, food, and lots of fun. The attendees can buy whichever book they want, and the proceeds go towards our main aim of creating libraries for children all across the country.
Book Donation Drives
The Book Donation drive is a step by SABIA towards gaining books for libraries in our partner schools. However, our mission goes beyond collecting books, in an eco-friendly manner. The drive’s purpose is to ensure making reading sustainable and build a collective effort by the folks of our country, to contribute towards building libraries for those who cannot access them. We aim to bring our community together and celebrate the joy of reading and donating. Our annual book donation drive is organized every year around Diwali. Corporations, colleges, schools, and societies come together to conduct awareness events to inspire people to donate books.
Students Leadership Training
This program aims to empower students by providing them with training in Leadership skills, Interpersonal Skills, Public speaking, and Art of Storytelling through different creative media (written, drawn, or oral).
Seminars are conducted to provide students with information on the various existing government schemes. This further encourages students to join us and lead activities like meeting with district level education officials, decision makers, and launching public campaigns, etc. The School Management Committee is also an integral part of this project where parents of the selected student leaders are invited to learn about advocacy and voice their opinions on the status of education in government schools. Engagement with the SMCs and parents is crucial to support and build momentum for the campaign.
