Workshop at Auxilium School, Carona, Aldona

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Aldona is fast becoming a village that is becoming familiar to me and my tyre tracks! 

I was back this week, but at Carona and the well kept campus of Auxilium Primary School, a school managed by the Salesian sisters.

It was so heartening to find that Sr. Antonetta was ready for the workshop, her teachers were aware that I was coming from Bookworm and we grouped ourselves in a circle to talk about books and a library.

Nijugrapher-55-DSC_2345

Nijugrapher-57-DSC_2360

Nijugrapher-58-DSC_2362

The discussion was rich, because right from the start everyone participated in the idea of a Primary school library. The teachers seemed to be heartened that their school was considered for a primary school library. I refuse to pause to imagine how I am going to pull off these school libraries with little or no funding, but I remain optimistic that someone will recognise the worth of work like this and begin to support it.

I met Isa and Flavia at the school, both possible library educators for the program who are committed to the idea and the practice and are ready to devote due time to ensure that story and creative arts happen with all 6 groups of the school.

We spoke about what a library might require, how we could begin to imagine its conception and organisation and how we need to create interest and engagement with the youngest of children.

Nijugrapher-59-DSC_2364

Nijugrapher-60-DSC_2372

Nijugrapher-56-DSC_2358Nijugrapher-61-DSC_2387

I feel positive when I think of a functional school library in this space, recognising that it will be enabled by this positive school.

1 comment

  1. Austin Correia

    I spent two years in a village in interior Maharashtra also lending children’s story books in Marathi and Hindi to kids… Stories have immense power to develop a child’s mind in manifold ways and developing the aesthetic and ethical sense in them. It also makes them feel more independent and powerful when they have read something “all on their own”. This is a way of affirming in them the use of the Gift of The Mind. It’s a wholesome way of loving children and preparing them for a future. Today in India through the Children’s Book Trust of India etc, we have children’s story books of world-class by way of content (the best of children’s authors are printed) and illustration made available at economic pricing. Illustrations introduce children to the world of art and painting. If we can strengthen our childrens’ reading skills today we will have independent minded and well-informed citizens tomorrow. Stories also introduce them to the world of characters, scripts, plots and international wisdom since stories from both local, national and the different cultures of the world are made available in print today. I wish this project all the success. A satisfied child is a grateful child. Let us give them beautiful memories in real life and in stories.

Leave a Reply