Calcutta Foundation-INSPIRATION-Pratham (CIP) recently teamed to pilot a “village community based accelerated reading programme”. The programme is being implemented by INSPIRATION (in 2 districts local groups are helping with the implantation), with funds from Calcutta Foundation and technical support from Pratham.

List of Pilot Districts / Blocks

DISTRICT	BLOCK	IMPLEMENTING AGENCY
Bankura	Raipur	INSPIRATION
Hooghly	Chanditala II	INSPIRATION
North 24 Parganas	Rajarhat	INSPIRATION
Cooch Behar	Cooch Behar II, and Tufangunj I	INSPIRATION
Dakshin Dinajpur	Hili	INSPIRATION - DCSCED
Darjeeling	Takda	INSPIRATION- Rotary Club of Darjeeling

In the pilot phase 5 villages were chosen in each target blocks, with the intention of opening one library in each village. 35 Libraries in all in 7 Blocks of 6 Districts.

After the selection process of Districts/Blocks/Gram Panchayats/Villages, a team from CIP, comprising Ms. Shamlu Dudeja, Dr. Chandreyee Das, Bidhan Jana and Ranajit Bhattacharyya, visited each and every village to assess the need in these villages by holding extensive meetings with Panchayat members, village elders and of course the children. The response of the villagers was overwhelming. They not only welcomed the CIP endeavour but also helped with selection of village community volunteers who would run the village community libraries. This was done in April 2006.

In the 1^st week of May, Dr Rukmini Banerji, Head of Pratham Training, Assessment and Research in North India, along with her team, conducted a 3 day training for the Block Coordinators and other CIP members, in Kolkata.  

Thereafter, the Pratham training team spent the entire month of May to train the village community volunteers, in all 7 Blocks. Mr. Shaktibrata Sen conducted training sessions in 6 Blocks and Ms. Shruti Nag, with her expertise in Nepali language, in Takdah Block of Darjeeling .

The libraries were officially launched on the 1^st of June. The experience thus far has been beyond expectations. Innumerable village elders together with children were present in each and every village at the launch. As a matter of fact in Dhalpal village of Tufanganj , in excess of one thousand of people were present at the launch!! Despite the presence of a Ram Mohan Library in the vicinity of the CIP library, the Dhalpal children are now flocking to the CIP library. 

Some other interesting tidbits: In village Jashpara of Raipur Block in Bankura district the VEC members organized the launch. The primary school teachers, in Jashpara, are even allowing the use of primary school library books at the CIP library. In village Uttarchakpachuria of Rajarhat Block in North 24 Parganas, which is a backward area, even the elders are reading the books. In Village Lalpur of Hili Block in Dakhin Dinajpur the Gram Panchayat has provided a newly constructed two-roomed building for the CIP library. The Panchayat Pradhan of the area is also making frequent trips to the library to make it a success. In Coochbehar at village Bhatlaguri in Coochbehar II Block, even 2-3 year olds are coming to library regularly. In Village Naiti of Chanditala II of Hooghly District the Gram Panchayat Pradhan has installed tube-lights in the library. Also in Chanditala II Block of District Hooghly, in Village Paanchghara, where the CIP library is operating out of the Panchayat office, the children have been allowed to operate the computer of the Panchayat Office and one of the CIP village volunteers is teaching the children on how to use the computer.  

In this short period of time of the formation of CIP libraries, already reports of success stories are trickling in. In Village Maruganj of Tufanganj Block in Coochbehar District, a 12 year old girl child, who had dropped out of the school system 2 years ago, owing to her mother losing her eyesight, who could barely read letters, is reading the daily newspaper with ease. In Village Lalpur of Hili Block of Dakshin Dinajpur, a 11 year old boy suddenly feels inspired to chant the rhymes he learns in the Library, all day.

We feel the pilot is moving in the right direction for a scale up after 2006. The support of the panchayat and village elders together with substantial daily attendance of demanding children has been quite overwhelming.

Mrs. Kanika Banerjee and Projjal Saha, along with the INSPIRATION team are working tirelessly to make the CIP programme a success.

RANAJIT BHATTACHARYYA