Mobile Library (Kitab Gari)

Kitab Gari, a project initiated by Children’s Literature Festival (CLF), a flagship program of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), aims to promote reading among children through its four strands main strands: storytelling, arts and craft, Cinema Ghar: documentaries/movies, digital learning and board games. This mobile library is designed to target both school going and non-school going children to make books and learning accessible to every child. This mobile rickshaw library is stocked with 500+ books, both fiction and non-fiction for children up to 16 years and for teachers.

What is in the Kitab Gari/Mobile Rickshaw Library – Library on Wheels – a mini CLF!

-        Books -Fiction and Non-fiction by grades (500 and growing) -reading and other activities

-        Tablets -digital learning for children

-        Cinema Ghar (movie house): Videos; Animation Films – Songs for Children (Sohail Rana-others)

-        Arts and Crafts  related to writing -imagination- illustrations

-        Games- Board Games -  Carrom Board, Ludo, Chess and Snakes and Ladders

-        Resource Person/Facilitator

-        Solar Panel for charging batteries and ensuring power supply on the site if not available

The Kitab Gari is like a mini “Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) on wheels”

Kitab Gari Launches (August-October 2019) and Special Events:

• A launch was conducted in the Sabeel Wali Gali of the Walled City in August 2019, where our CLF Goodwill Ambassador Celebrity actor/activist, Ms. Nadia Jamil held an interactive storytelling session and engaged with the audience on the love for books and good habits.
• Kitab Gari was launched in Life Skills for Kids (LSK) Gujjar Colony Campus – a school for the most vulnerable children of rag picking communities led by CEO-ITA Ms. Baela Raza Jamil and CEO Bulleh Shah Packages Mr. Aslam Mehdi who inaugurated Kitab Gari and shared their views on this unique ‘fun’ initiative
• Ms. Maria Riaz the author of “Our Super Hero: Edhi Baba’ came from Muzaffarabad AJK, to launch her book with the children of LSK schools- the children loved the rendition of the story and its beautiful illustrations.
• Iqbal Day was celebrated near the Mausoleum of Allama Iqbal with a Kitab Gari visit (Nov. 11). Our CLF Good Will Ambassador Mr. Sami Khan joined us to interact with the kids through a storytelling session with expressions and remembering the great Poet by enjoying poetry and skit performances by the kids.
• Kitab Gari made its presence valuable for the children at the Faiz Interational Festival (FIF) on November 17, 2019. Our celebrity/actor/educator and CLF Goodwilll Ambassador Mr. Omair Rana visited the Kitab Gari to spend time with the kids and engage with them on promoting the fun learning and reading habits.

FIF 2019 was an opportunity to have the famous CLF Adviser Mahtab Akbar Rashidi visiting the KG – and holding a lively conversation about her journey as a young girl in search of learning, expression and empowerment in interior Sindh. The students from schools loved her conversation as she sat by the KG to share her challenges, and inspire students about her love for knowledge.

 Weekly Functioning of the Kitab Gari:

The Kitab Gari is dedicated to six school campuses of vulnerable children in LSK Campuses; other than the campuses it visits the low cost Agaahi School near Lahore Hotel as well as other deserving schools, walled city schools, sessions at the Children Library Complex (CLC) and community areas of Lahore with children in need of learning stimulation. Every session of Kitab Gari follows a pre-planned set of activities. The session plan is sometimes modified depending on the target group. The focal persons/driver and story teller/animator of the Kitab Gari session share a short report of the day with the team highlighting the outcomes achieved, challenges faced during the session, short comings and the areas of improvement.

Kitab Gari visits the Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) Peshawar December 10-11, 2019

The KG’s appearance at the Peshawar CLF 2019 was a dramatic experience for the children of KP who visited this innovation with great interest. The senator Dr. Mehr Taj was fascinated as were the students of Kalash Valley who all took to the driver’s seat and read books from the KG!

KITAB GARI ACTIVITIES

Areas visited:    

• LSK weekly visits to six campuses around the garbage dumping sites of Lahore
• Aagahi School- (near Lahore Hotel)
• Walled City premises
• Lahore Fort
• Quran School
• Public and Low cost Private schools
• White cane Day celebration at Children’s Library Complex – Other activities
• Faiz International Festival (FIF)
• CLF Peshawar  (December 2019)
• Quaid day celebrations at Children’s Library Complex        

No. of Beneficiaries (Students and community members):

More than 2000 students / 200 teachers and above 1000 out of school children

Objectives:

• Exposing children to the joy of reading – a bond between students and books
• Develop habits and interest of self-reading, expression and inquiry
• Give students an opportunity to explore learning through technology and board games
• Spread awareness messages to all age groups about reading beyond the textbooks
• Explore and enhance creative skills

Strands:

1. Storytelling/Story writing through books and digital media
2. Book reading and borrowing
3. Kitab Gari Cinema of documentaries, Movies and short films
4. Art & Craft (Drawings, Painting, calligraphy, Origami and paper recycling)
5. Digital Learning through tablets

Activities conducted during Kitab Gari Sessions:

• Story Chain
• Discussion on Active Citizenship and Quaid Azam.
• Storytelling
• Book reading
• Cinema Ghar
• Board games
• Using Dictionary
• Spelling and Vocabulary
• Arts and Craft
• Use of Maps

Impact:

• The sessions encouraged children to become a good citizens.
• The story chain activities motivated the students to write their own stories and encouraged them to use dictionaries.
• Children learned through Storytelling and Cinema Ghar which boosted their interest in reading books and expressing them more articulately.
• They learned how to use a dictionary and were encouraged to make it a routine which increased their vocabulary.
• The games such as scrabble and chess made them to think critically besides inculcating teamwork.
• The sessions boosted their confidence and enhanced their expression.

Challenges:

• Bad condition of roads especially when it comes to catering under privileged community.
• Demands from larger groups of target audience/children from just one KG
• Although many schools have been visited by the Kitab Gari more visits to for off areas can be made possible by greater funding for greater outreach
• The rickshaw due to its expanded body faces interrogations by the traffic police, for which special permit has to be acquired for this one and the new ones being planned.

Recommendations:

• The storytellers should be trained further to use time well – combining storytelling with learning activities by children themselves in the Kitab Gari sessions.
• The session plans should be submitted a day prior the visit.
• Two mentors/facilitators should be allotted for each Kitab Gari session.
• A weekly schedule highlighting the duties allotted to the mentors and storytellers.
• A brief summary/report of Kitab Gari Visit should be submitted to the head of school

Building Bridges:

To target maximum schools and children we are working to expand the activities of Kitab Gari through building new bridges and connections with other organizations. To address this, we have shared a weekly plan for Kitab Gari visits to Walled City Schools with The Walled City Authority to reach as many schools and non-school going children to bring an environment of reading and learning.

Till now from the day of its inception in August 2019, Kitab Gari has reached a significant number of schools and children including the ones who are deprived of school education, in different areas of Lahore and, particularly the remote ones to create its impact; it even went to participate in the CLF Peshawar!  We believe that the upcoming activities of Kitab Gari will bring more excitement and enthusiasm among children and will boost their love for books alongside reigniting the passion for reading.

Links:

• http://bit.ly/2QQ6EKM
• http://childrensliteraturefestival.com/clf-kitab-gari/