One school at a time
Seeing the little ones reverently opening a book and getting lost in the story is all the inspiration you need sometimes, says Kavindya Thennekoon, the 18-year-old whose library project is a very practical -one school and one library at a time. What surprises her more than anything, though, is the enthusiasm which she is regularly met with. “That’s what keeps me going.”
Kavindya Thennekoon
It all began back in 2012 when her school was tasked with completing a community service project for that year’s Sri Lanka Model UN conference. Armed with a heady dose of enthusiasm and an exceptionally organised faculty advisor in the form of Ranmali Silva, the young MUNers at Lyceum International School Nugegoda identified three schools in Wennappuwa in desperate need of an equipped library. “It was Miss Ranmali’s military precision that got us properly organised,” Kavindya says. “We visited the schools first to conduct a feasibility study and after that it was all about fundraising. About Rs. two lakhs and the libraries were built.”
It was at this point that she realised the impact a few books can have on a life. “There were these young kids from fishing communities in the area who clearly loved having reading material.” It was then that she decided with support or not, she would continue the project in whatever way she could. Impending Advanced Level examinations and other commitments kept her distracted for a while, but in 2012 she received a letter from a school in Deraniyagala. Having heard about the Lyceum project, the principal asked if they would be interested in doing a similar initiative in their school as well. Kavindya visited the school and using the tools she had acquired from the previous project assessed the school’s needs. It was time to fundraise once again.
And so A Book to Read Foundation came into being. The schools they assist have one thing in common-they’re remote, underprivileged institutions with little by way of funds. “We might not be able to help them with classrooms or buildings,” says Kavindya. “But we firmly believe that a simple book can overcome all of this. The kid who reads can, and will go a long way.”
It’s for this very reason that the foundation is careful about the books they place in their libraries. They try to pick those with inspirational stories about young children. Sensitive to the language requirements of the children, the books are mainly in Sinhalese and Tamil or elementary English. Newspaper subscriptions are given to these schools and books added to the collection at regular intervals.
Currently collecting books for a school in Dangampola (near Kegalle), Kavindya is helping also to provide them with books, chairs and shelves for a complete experience. The foundation is open to donations in the form of old books (even if the books aren’t child friendly the foundation can sell them off to raise funds to buy reading material), book vouchers and even old chairs, cupboards and shelves.
You could even volunteer. While her mother and friends help out, Kavindya is always happy for any additional assistance. There’s nothing more rewarding than to see a child engrossed in a book and to know you’ve played some part in facilitating that, she smiles. “Sometimes they take those books home and the entire family takes turns in reading. It’s not just one person who benefits.
To find out more about how you can help, write to abooktoread95@gmail.com
D.I.
