Mymensingh had a wonderful celebration on August 4th, 2023, as the Grow Your Reader Foundation joined hands with Youth Planet to expand their project called “Book Garage.” The event was filled with joy and excitement as they brought more books and reading opportunities to the community.
The event was a delightful expedition of knowledge and rebuilding, inviting everyone to walk along a peaceful 3-kilometer road and discover the magic of small street libraries.
Four street libraries were established outside four schools, namely Darilla Goyeshpur Abdul Hamid High School at Purbo Darilla, Azijunnessa Girls School at Goyeshpur, Darilla Government Primary School at Panditpur, and Nandail road high school at Nandail Road, bringing the world of books closer to the hearts of children and villagers. The school authorities, students, and villagers were present to inaugurate the libraries to celebrate the power of reading.
Sadia Jafrin, the founder of Grow Your Reader Foundation, expressed her excitement about organizing a special reading circle at Azijunnessa Girls School premises. She said, “25 enthusiastic readers actively participated, making the reading experience engaging for children and the communities involved. The selected book for the session was ‘Putul Khelar Rajneeti: Barbie Kahini’, which delved into the captivating narrative behind the popularity and strategic political agenda of the Barbie doll manufacturing company Mattel. The book also explored Western aggression worldwide, particularly in third-world countries, where women and young girls are both consumers and products. The reading circle provided a wonderful opportunity for meaningful discussions, developing empathy and understanding among the participants to make them more sensible and aware.”
With the joy of reading at the core of our project, Grow Your Reader Foundations aims to nurture a reading habit among children and adolescents by providing free access and organizing regular reading circles. Additionally, they redirected the focus from mobile screens to the captivating world of books to make people empowered, nurturing a love for reading and promoting better mental development and well-being for all.”
Youth Planet is the supervisory partner associated with Grow Your Reader Foundation in Mymensingh for the “Book Garage”. They will take overall care of these street libraries and assist communities to organize reading circles regularly. Throughout the event, the communication agency “Bullseye” has worked as a strategic partner with Grow Your Reader Foundation. The project is supported by Dhaka American Women’s Club (DAWC).
Grow Your Reader Foundation currently has 23 Book garages having 4000 books in different regions, including Dhaka, Tangail, Chittagong, and Jamalpur. The main theme of the Book Garage project is “Leave your old books behind, so people who don’t have the means can pick up and discover a new book for free”.
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