14 November,2011 11:36 AM IST | | Anurupa Dongare
Participate in a book donation drive across the city to offer underprivileged children access to education
If you are a bookaholic and wish to do a good turn, Aviva's Great Wall of Education offers you a solution. Touted as India's biggest-ever book donation drive for underprivileged children, the initiative has been launched in Pune as well as other cities.
Children reading books donated at the book donation initiative
The book donation drive, which is part of the Street To School initiative, has been activated across the city by placing drop boxes at various strategic locations. In order to ensure maximum participation, the boxes have been placed in more than 20 schools across the city, through which school children can also make their contribution.
A learning centre at SOS will benefit from the book donation drive
Numerous NGOs will benefit thanks to the books that are gathered during the donation drive. SOS Children's Villages and Save the Children are some of them. Rakesh Jinsi, Secretary General, SOS Children's Villages of India, says, "Our organisation enables orphan children to lead a normal life. We have a total of 20,000 children across two programmes that we undertake. Even though we are a large organisation, we are short on resources. The books that we receive will be used in learning centers that we have in around 33 villages. We will also be sending these books to nine schools around the country."
Save the Children, India will be using the books in the mobile libraries that were inaugurated in September. Irwin Fernandes from Save the Children, India, says, "The mobile libraries go to the slums where children do not have access to books. The unused books are recycled and converted into notebooks that children can use."
So, do your bit for them and go donate a book.
Till November 21
At Schools around Pune, Symbiosis High School, Prabhat Road, Kalmadi High School, Karve Road, Gurukul, Law College Road.
