A two-digit multiplication and division homework of a fifth Standard student of Vadapazhangi Panchayat School remains untouched The English notebook retains its new look. S. Kavitha struggles to read a passage from a Tamil book and she manages: "Pudukk ....mavattathil oru min viapa... thar" (It is `Pudukkottai Mavattathil oru vyapari irunthar'). The blotted papers of notebooks flip up in the force of breeze that sweeps through her village Manapatti. Holding a book in one hand, she manages her toddler cousin with the other and tries to focus on the book. She is aided by volunteers from her village — mostly college students — who are trying to teach and provide succour to students like Kavitha. From Tamil alphabets to multiplication tablets, these young volunteers take turns at the facilitating centres manned by Littles Trust, an NGO working for the rural children who lack in right environment for studying. These facilitating centres also function as a `bagful library', often maintained by a volunteer from the village. Called the `Eureka Library,' it distributes Tamil story books and story cards with attractive colours and mega size photographs and paintings to children, who can either take them to their homes for reading or to the centres under the guidance of volunteers.

Spreading literacy

"Littles Trust started serving rural children from 1994 but got itself registered as a Trust only in 2002 when funds started coming in," says T.R. Parvatha Varthini, managing trustee of the trust.

To spread literacy among the children in the villages, the trust along with AID-India, a Chennai-based NGO, embarked upon the novel project `Eureka Library.' According to her, a survey revealed that 50 per cent of children in III and V Standards across Tamil Nadu could not even read simple Tamil stories. This is after attending school almost daily for three to five years. It also found that most villages did not have children's library. To make libraries reach the poorest children and encourage reading habit particularly in neo-literate children, the `Eureka People's Library Bag program' was launched.

Maintenance

The organisation provides 50 storybooks and 30 story cards. The local volunteer maintains the library bag and keeps simple register of those children who borrow books and cards for reading. AID-India works with various NGOs and has 1,300 libraries across Tamil Nadu. There are 36,570 children who are members of the library and provided 1,62,300 books to the library. In 2005 alone, 4,26,757 books were transacted in all libraries put together, says Mrs. Varthini.

Issuing books and story cards can enhance the reading skill of children. But how do they handle them? Volunteers also help the children in maintaining the books. Whenever a book is torn, volunteers provide the children with adhesive and teach them to paste torn pages besides asking them to handle the book with much care in future, she says.

Now, the trust manages 25 centres in 15 villages. There are certain villages such as Vadivelkarai and Keezhakuilkudi with two facilitating centres catering to the Dalit and caste Hindus.

Totally there are 25 volunteers and out of them, four belong to X Standard, two university students, one self-help-group member and the rest are students of SVN College and Yadava College. Though there are 25 volunteers only college students are eligible in handling the facilitating centres besides maintaining the library. The other volunteers maintain the library alone.

"Do students volunteer themselves for the cause? Yes, they do. Awareness through word of mouth brought us all the volunteers. Today's youth is always on the prowl to work for the betterment of society," vouches Mrs Varthini.

"The worst thing that can happen to a child is to remain illiterate even after completing Fifth Standard," says M.Raja Ram, library coordinator.

Libraries have to become more proactive since they are not just storehouses of knowledge but also propagators of knowledge.

When the present-day generation, who can afford, throng book shops in queues to get a copy of Harry Porter, the bagful library caters to the under privileged children and new literates in the villages, who always look forward to make a visit to the library with much enthusiasm, says V. Jeyamani of Manapatti.

Do these facilitating centres confine to teaching and learning? No, we do teach some interesting games through which they learn new flowers, fruits and new vocabulary, says Mr. Raja Ram.

C. Malathy and A. Shivakumar, who focus on English language skills, say that though students are hesitant and afraid of English, they show keen interest in learning with proper guidance.

Selva kumar helps children with their mathematical skills while S. Subbulakshmi one day simply barged in to be a volunteer for teaching basic grammar.

Remuneration

The volunteers get a paltry sum of Rs.200 to meet bus expenses. But they happily spend buying gifts for village children on special occasions like Independence Day and Republic Day.

"Parents of these children have understood the importance of education and they support us," says Mr. Selvakumar.

The facilitating centres especially teaching sessions are conducted between 6 to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on weekends.