Kinderbücher für Dorfgemeinschaftszentren im indischen Bundesstaat Bihar

We want to equip 234 publicly funded Community Library and Career Development Centers (CLCDC) in the north Indian state of Bihar with children's books! In the past, we have already set up areas with children's books in 100 CLCDC libraries to make them a place of learning for children of primary school age and young teenagers.

The CLCDCs are part of the Bihar state government's JEEViKA program. JEEVIKA is implementing an innovative education initiative that promotes the establishment of Community Library and Career Development Center (CLCDC) in numerous villages. The program is also supported by the World Bank.

The CLCDC is designed to be a one-stop shop for adolescent or adult learners and underprivileged students, especially girls and marginalized populations whose parents often cannot read or write. Children and young family members from poor rural households are to be given access to educational and career opportunities through the CLCDC. This enables them to serve as local role models for future generations.

The desire for education plays a crucial role for many villagers. However, they often lack access to basic resources - such as books for children and young people - to support their children outside the school context. In addition, the public school system in Bihar is in a poor state, which naturally affects the quality of education for children from poor families who cannot afford private schools.

To ensure that the CDLCs also provide added value for schoolchildren and that they come into contact with books and education outside the school context at an early age, we would like to equip other CLCDCs in the state of Bihar that we have not yet supported with children's and youth book sections. This will also ensure that it does not matter where a child grows up in Bihar - because all children with access to CLCDC benefit equally from children's book sections. Due to the size of the project, the small libraries are spread across the state.

The project is economically sustainable by embedding the libraries in existing, publicly funded facilities. The books benefit all interested children and young people in a village and are at the same time in a place where careful handling is guaranteed. At this “place of learning”, children and young people can also exchange ideas and enjoy learning together

We obtain the children's books from the Indian non-governmental organization Pratham Books, which produces children's books with lively and progressive content.