Written by: Jolyan Dias Sapeco
There’s something quietly transformative about delivering a playset to a home. Not just any books, but books chosen with care,and with a particular child in mind. As part of Bookworm Goa’s Home-Based Library Program, I’ve had the chance to do just that. And while each visit begins with a simple delivery of a playset, it often ends with something far more profound: a shared smile, a long conversation, a rush of emotions.
These home-based boxes are designed for children with distinct needs who are unable to visit the library in person. Each box includes a thoughtfully selected book, a lesson plan that meets the child where they are, and a handful of joyful, tactile elements: games, toys, sensory materials that turn learning into play. Over time, we’ve also started including books for the parents: something they can enjoy on their own, perhaps in the quiet of a few moments that the day provides.
What stays with me, far more than the contents of the box, are the connections the giving and receiving creates. I’ve watched children explore boxes with anticipation, their faces lighting up with curiosity and excitement. I’ve heard parents share how their child waits at the door on the day of the delivery, looking forward to what they lovingly call “their library.” I’ve also heard from colleagues how troubled a child could get when the box is being returned until they realise there is always another box awaiting them!
But it’s more than exciting. There’s something deeply emotional about how these boxes are received. Many parents have shared that for once, they don’t feel like their child is being pitied or accommodated, they feel like their child is simply being seen and recognised as capable. They remark upon how the playset material notes the child’s interests and preferences, and ensures the right of the child to experience joy through books and play like any other.
One parent told me, “When you bring these boxes, you’re not just bringing books, you’re treating my child like they’re no different. And that means everything.”
I’ve seen how these stories, these small yet powerful gestures, begin to shift something in the home. Parents begin to read again sometimes for their child, sometimes for themselves. Children start engaging more eagerly, asking for the next story, holding onto their favorite parts of the lesson plan. The box stays with the family for 3-4 weeks and in that time, it becomes part of their rhythm, their conversations, their way of being together.
For families who can afford, the playset has a minimal fee of Rs.300 per box per month but so many families are able to see value in measures beyond rupees. It is measured instead in trust, in growing confidence, in joy, and in the reaffirmation that every child regardless of ability deserves access to stories that spark imagination and connection. The Home Based Library program needs financial sponsors to enable it to continue to deliver joy. If you know or are someone who can support this initiative please write to us.
One of my new favourite pictures is of myself delivering the Playset to a Parent.
For me, this journey has been deeply personal. To knock on a door and hand over something so small, yet so meaningful, is an experience I carry with me long after the box has been exchanged. It reminds me, time and again, of the power of stories and the simple, radical act of showing up with love, curiosity, and care.
Children just have to be cherished!