2008 India Book Distribution Project
During June, July, and August of 2008, we organized and participated in the distribution of over 200,000 children’s books to different schools and libraries throughout India. The idea for this project was born during the previous summer, when conversations with many of our partners in India revealed a consistent desire to obtain high quality fiction and non-fiction books to supplement the official English-language curriculum. In autumn 2007, we discovered Thrift Recycling Management, an organization that collects used children’s books from all corners of the USA. Thrift offered to virtually donate as many books as our partners could handle, provided that we paid the shipping costs. Thanks to the generosity and trust of those who support the Omprakash Foundation, we managed to raise the necessary funds, and the summer project ended up a success on many fronts: we provided needed educational resources to many old partners, met many new partners along the way, and continued thinking and learning about the best (and worst) ways to fulfill our responsibilities as members of a global community. There are no final answers in sight: while many book recipients offered us their praise and gratitude, telling us that the books were “treasure,” many other Indian educationists offered well-thought criticism and suggested that sending books from America to India is not an ideal use of resources. We have no choice but to humble ourselves before both types of commentary, and strive to continue learning from the dialogue that this project has produced. To participate in this dialogue and offer your own comments on the book project, please visit the “General” forum of our Message Board>>
Please scroll down for photos, videos, and more details about the 2008 India Book Distribution Project.
Below, please find a video of an excited book recipient in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh. Scroll down for specific details about book recipients and project costs, or see more videos of the book project>>
We sent two 40′ crates from the United States to India. One, holding 1318 boxes of books, was sent to Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, while the other, holding 1358 boxes, was sent to New Delhi. Each box held an average of 80 books. Please scroll down to see a list of the book recipients throughout the country, or see a spreadsheet with recipient details>>
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh- Confederation of Voluntary Associations (COVA) and associated projects. 225 boxes. COVA (www.covanetwork.org) is a non-government organization that supports a variety of government and private schools in Hyderabad. Learn more about our partnership with COVA>>
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh- India Literacy Project. 56 boxes. Visit www.ilpnet.org to learn more about India Literacy Project.
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh- The M. Venkatarangaiya Foundation. 136 boxes. MVF (www.mvfindia.in) works to eradicate child labor in India by integrating out-of-school children back into government schools by way of their “bridge camps.” Learn more about our partnership with MVF>>
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh- Sphoorti Foundation. 15 boxes. Sphoorti Foundation (www.sphoorti.org) provides housing and education to orphans in Hyderabad. Learn more about our partnership with Sphoorti Foundation>>
Nagole (Hyderabad suburb), Andhra Pradesh- Asha Kamalakar. 3 boxes. This school provides education to over 200 children from slum areas. Read more about Asha Kamalakar>>
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh- Asha Samata. 5 boxes.
Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh- Asha Sahanivasa. 140 boxes. This project provides educational support to Dalit children from over 60 different villages. Read more about Asha Sahanivasa>>
Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh- Asha Mobile Library. 282 boxes. Having received a fellowship from Asha (www.ashanet.org), Ravi Aluganti now spends his time driving his van between the 20 government schools throughout Chittoor District that are members of his mobile library program. Read more about Ravi Aluganti>>
Chennai, Tamil Nadu- Asha Project Sangamam-Poondi. 100 boxes. Two panchayat middle schools and six panchayat primary schools.
Chennai, Tamil Nadu- Asha Project Dream. 50 boxes. One panchayat high school, two panchayat middle schools, and three panchayat primary schools
Chennai, Tamil Nadu- Asha Project FirstStep. 25 boxes. 6 Integrated Child Development System (ICDS) balwadis (pre-primary education centers).
Chennai, Tamil Nadu- Asha Poorna Vidhya. 10 boxes. Two Chennai corporation schools, one balwadi.
Chennai, Tamul Nadu- Asha Project Sangamam – Thiruvarur - 16 boxes. One high school, one middle school.
Chennai, Tamil Nadu- Asha Little Flower School - 10 boxes. One middle school.
Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Olcott Memorial High School - 56 boxes.
Bangalore, Karnataka- India Literacy Project. 84 boxes. Visit www.ilpnet.org to learn more about India Literacy Project.
Mumbai, Maharashtra- 10 boxes were distributed to the following organizations:
-SMILE (www.smile-ngo.org), an organization providing children with Montessori education and further scholarships and support. Learn more about our partnership with SMILE>>
-Family Service Center, Colaba (http://fscmumbai.org), where over 500 children can access educational resources
-Father Agnel Ashram, Bandra, an orphanage for 70 boys between 10-18 years old
-Bai Avabai F. Petit Parsi Girls Orphanage, Bandra, a shelter for 510 orphaned Parsi girls who attend the adjacent high school
-Bombay Smiles (http://www.bombaysmiles.org/proyecto.asp), a funding agency currently supporting the education of about 6000 children across the city
New Delhi- Project Why (www.projectwhy.org). 223 boxes. An organization providing free educational support to over 600 slum children throughout the city, Project Why has used its books to establish a main library at its Women’s Center and to provide a rotating selection of age-appropriate reading material to seven of its satellite schools. In addition, some of the books given to Project Why have been used to establish a new children’s library in Haridwar. Click here and here to read two Project Why blogs about the book project, or learn more about our partnership with Project Why>>
New Delhi- IBBY-AWIC Children’s Library, National Bal Bhavan. 132 boxes. This centrally-located library is open to all children in the city, and during the summer over 7,000 children pass through the Bal Bhavan (”Children’s House”) every day.
Jaipur, Rajasthan- Center for Unfolding Learning Potential. 106 boxes. CULP (www.culpjaipur.org) works to help out-of-school girls re-enter the school system, and also supports a variety of smaller grassroots NGO’s also working in Rajasthan. Learn more about our partnership with CULP>>
Jaipur, Rajasthan- Datta’s Library. 26 boxes. Datta’s Library (www.freewebs.com/dattaslibrary) is a small community library associated with CULP.
Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh- AWIC Children’s Library. 132 boxes. This innovative library, initiated by the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (www.awic.in), is the first of its kind in Arunachal Pradesh. The library is open to everyone 365 days per year, and is also the headquarters of 9 smaller community libraries in Lohit District. Click here to read the library’s 2007 Annual Report.
Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh- Louisiana-Himalaya Association (www.lhasocialwork.org). 500 boxes. Our partners at the LHA agreed to receive this massive shipment of books and then distributed as indicated by the list below. Learn more about our partnership with LHA>>
-TCV School, Suja: 110 boxes
-TCV School, Chantra: 50 boxes
-TCV School, Gopalpur: 50 boxes
-TCV Day School, McLeod Ganj: 10 boxes
-Longling School: 10 boxes
-Shambota School: 15 boxes
-Grumm Village School: 15 boxes
-Mevon Peton School: 5 boxes
-Himalaya School, Nepal: 20 boxes
-Hope Education Center: 15 boxes
-Khawakarpo Tibet Culture Centre: 10 boxes
-Dharamsala Rotary Club: 50 boxes
-Interested local Indian and Tibetan individuals: 25 boxes
Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir- Basera-e-Tabessum School. 7 boxes. This school, sponsored by Asha and the Borderless World Foundation, provides education and housing to girls orphaned by the recent violence in Kashmir.
Leh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir- Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV). 30 boxes. This school provides education and housing to Tibetans living in Ladakh.
Leh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir- Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (www.secmol.org). 5 boxes. One of the leading educational NGO’s in the region, SECMOL also helped arrange book distribution to a number of the private and government schools that it works to support:
-Springdales School, Wakha. 28 boxes. Learn more about our partnership with Springdales School>>
-Government High School, Wakha- 10 boxes.
-Government High School, Tia. 15 boxes. Learn more about our partnership with Tia Government High School>>
-Government High School, Domkhar- 7 boxes.
-Government High School, Gya- 8 boxes.
-Government High School, Shara- 8 boxes.
-Government Primary School, Phey- 2 boxes.
-Government Pre-Primary School, Spituk- 2 boxes.
-Government Primary School, Diggar (Nubra)- 2 boxes.
-Hostel in Leh for Markha students- 4 boxes.
-Lamdon School, Diskit, Nubra- 10 boxes.
-Community Library, Domkhar Barma- 7 boxes.
-Gyudzin Monastery School- 3 boxes.
Nalbari, Assam- Asha Darshan. 33 boxes. This organization runs 13 educational centers and 363 self-help groups in this rural district of northeast India, supporting the education of over 1300 children. Learn more about Asha Darshan>>
Project Costs
$2375- Book charge from Thrift Recycling.
$5015- Shipping from Atlanta, GA, to New Delhi.
$3625- Shipping from Hammond, IN to Hyderabad.
$2077- Total internal costs for books arriving in Hyderabad- includes customs charges, clearance agent, labor and storage, and truck transport to book recipients.
$3048- Total internal costs for books arriving in New Delhi- includes customs charges, clearance agent, and truck transport to book recipients.
Total project cost: $16,140. Average cost per book (2676 boxes of books * roughly 80 books per box = roughly 214,000 total books): $ .07 (seven cents, or about three Indian rupees).
We wish to offer our gratitude to everyone involved with this project, especially our generous donors, Thrift Recycling Management (www.thriftrecycling.com) and all of the individuals without whom it would not have been possible: Jeff Mcmullin, Jaime Grant, Prasad Satyanarayana, Anouradha Bakshi, Satish Chandra, Dinesh Sachdeva, Mohammed Turab, Masood Absar, Wasim Ahmed, and Janhvi Doshi.
See more photos of the book project>>
