Mobile Library (Kitab Gari)

Kitab Gari 

(A Mobile Rikshaw Library) 

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, and Cinema Ghar which includes documentaries/movies, digital learning and board games. The mobile rickshaw library or library on wheels is a mini-CLF and is designed to target both in-school and out of school children to make books and learning accessible to every child. It 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 
• Arts and Crafts related to writing -imagination- illustrations 
• Games- Board Games - Carrom Board, Ludo, Chess and Snakes and Ladders 
• Resource Person/Facilitator 

Weekly Functioning

The Kitab Gari started of by being dedicated to six campuses of Life Skills for Kids (LSK) schools around the garbage dumping sites of Lahore. Recently, it has started its outreach activities in more diverse locations which comprise of low-cost public/Private Schools and low-income communities of Lahore to engage children with learning needs. Every session of Kitab Gari follows a pre-planned set of activities. The session plan is sometimes modified depending on the target audience. 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, shortcomings and possible areas of improvement.

 Kitab Gari Quarterly Achievements:

• CLF Kitab Gari carried out a total of 51 visits from July 2021 – October 2021 with a total outreach of 1000 children and community members.
• These four months were focused on exploring new communities which needed access to book and other learning materials equipped within the Kitab Gari. The new communities visited within this quarter included areas: Pathi Ground, Lalazar Community, Karim Block and many others which are some of the poorest communities in Lahore. 
• Furthermore, Kitab Gari is currently collaborating with LUMS (Lahore University of Management Sciences) Students to further improve the content being delivered to the children of Lahore.
• This Quarter also marked the launch of our second Kitab Gari in Karachi and is currently in the process of getting relevant approvals from the government to start Kitab Gari visits in low-income areas of Karachi.

No. of Beneficiaries:

Around 1000+ children benefitted from this innovative learning experience during this period. The small number of beneficiaries is due to limiting the audience members to 10 to 12 children as dictated by COVID Protocols. The limit of the students attending the Kitab Gari sessions are slowly being increased as COVID Protocols are getting relaxed. 

Objectives:

• Inculcate a love for books in children
• Develop book-reading habits and interest in self-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 
• Stimulate and enhance creativity and critical thinking in children

Strands:

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

Activities conducted during Kitab Gari Sessions:

• Read Aloud
• Arts & Craft
• Discussion on Active Citizenship and Quaid Azam (Quaid se Batein)
• Storytelling
• Learning Activities/worksheets aligned to storybooks
• Book reading
• Cinema Ghar 
• Board games

 Impact:

• Children learned through Storytelling and Cinema Ghar which boosted their interest in reading books and expressing them more articulately. 
• The sessions encouraged children to become active and responsible citizens. 
• Board games such as scrabble and chess enabled critically thinking skills, and inculcated the value of teamwork.
• The sessions boosted their confidence and public speaking skills, and enhanced their ability to comprehend major themes in story-books.
• The sessions gave agency to children to speak and express themselves freely.
• The sessions based on connecting storytelling to learning Urdu and English is increasing the interest of children in expanding their knowledge and vocabulary. 

 Challenges:

• Poor infrastructure remained a challenge for Kitab Gari to reach a few places and organize its planned activities, particularly in underprivileged communities.
• The SOP’s to be followed during the current pandemic limited the number of children which can be engaged in activities and massive school closures due to the second wave of corona really limited community activities.
• Particularly, on rainy days, due to lack of good facility of rainwater drains in some areas, Kitab Gari could not cater to its audience and complete its sessions.
• Schools’ internal assessment schedules clashed with the event in two places, where either participation remained less or Kitab Gari planned sessions could not complete.
• Outreach can be further enhanced and far-flung areas can be brought under Kitab Gari’s ambit through an increase in funding or support in marketing Kitab Gari online.
• 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:

• Sign agreements with schools to schedule of Kitab Gari visits to avoid clashes with schools’ internal assessments and holiday schedules.
• Incorporate small STEAM activities to enable kids to increase their understanding of basic academic concepts and help in their educational learning.
• Story-telling sessions can be made still more engaging with story-tellers better trained in making meaningful interdisciplinary connections between various strands of CLF.
• Kitab Gari should align its COVID-19 response strategy with ITA’s other ongoing programs and spring to action in times when learning gaps between children are broadening and many are at a risk of dropping out of school. 
• Kitab Gari should come up with a plan to collaborate with organizations to increase outreach to underprivileged communities, and train volunteers/Lady Health Workers/community workers to conduct story-telling and art activities including those based on health and hygiene, in safe gear.
• Public Private partnerships need to be further leveraged in these times for Kitab Gari to continue its mission of making books accessible to ALL children without discrimination and create joyful learning experiences for them.
• Introduce more Kitab Garis and ensure that more communities are being covered on a daily basis.