Literacy campaign with library on boat!

This boat that houses a host of books, study material and activity stuff is drawing the attention of slum children living on the banks of the River Gomti.

This boat that houses a host of books, study material and activity stuff is drawing the attention of slum children living on the banks of the River Gomti. This ‘Library on Boat’ moves to different ghats where volunteers engage slums and children to inculcate reading habits in children and engage them with fun-and-learn activities.

Library on Boat at Kudiyaghat in Lucknow. (Sourced)

On the banks of Kudiya Ghat, young Laxmi says, “I am living with my mother here and I go to school but there we do not have such activities. I am having the best time here reading stories and making drawings.”

They have done colour coding as per level of their education. The reading session is the biggest draw which is done in four methods – reading aloud, paired, shared and independent reading.

Room to Read programme officer Avinash Verma informs, “The purpose of setting up the Boat Library was to reach children who are not frequently reached by anyone. Children residing in riverside slums like near Daliganj and near Kudia Ghat generally do not get such opportunities.” Besides, they are running mobile library vans in different parts of the city.

It’s being held in collaboration with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and SCERT. The first mobile library van was launched on August 18 by the Basic Education & SCERT, Uttar Pradesh, director Sarvendra Vikram Bahadur Singh in Lucknow and second on August 28 by the District Education Officer Rakesh Singh in Varanasi.

HTC