Meet Sadiya Shaikh, a Mumbai resident who is educating underprivileged children through community libraries.
She took a holiday and traveled to Deora, Bihar, with her family before the countrywide lockdown was declared in 2020.
Deora is a tiny hamlet in the Jale Block of Bihar’s Darbhanga district, with a population of 3,446 people and 631 households, according to Sadiya. While the literacy rate in the hamlet is 40.9 percent, the female literacy rate is alarmingly low at 18.6 percent.
When she returned to the hamlet, she noticed that families with more resources relocated to the metropolis, while others were left behind. She remembered her family moving to Mumbai when she was four years old in search of better chances and possibilities.
He could observe how the less fortunate families and their children were forced to make difficult decisions to obtain necessities. Many families pull their children out of school because they can’t afford to buy books or even clothing for the required curriculum.
Sadiya is an educated speaker and an undergraduate student at Rizvi College in Bandra studying Sociology and English. She frequently spoke at inter-college events about the Right to Education (RTE), women’s empowerment, and unemployment, among other themes. Her visit to Deora heightened her awareness of the social issues that she cared deeply about.
Inadequate Education
She noted that students in Deora were frequently compelled to drop out of school and do labor in the fields. She has seen this carried down through generations in many areas, resulting in the population remaining economically and socially disadvantaged.
She also realized that child marriage was still prevalent in the area, resulting in a high number of school dropouts. Some families refuse to educate their girls, while others are compelled to do labor in the fields with their parents and siblings.
The young warrior, on the other hand, was adamant that for any social change to occur, the rich and educated people of the society must step forward and stand in solidarity with the marginalized.
Constructing Community Libraries
She eventually persuaded her family and received access to a relative’s guesthouse, which she renovated with Rs 5,000 acquired from winning a public-speaking prize in the preceding two years. Her cousin Nawaz Rahman and uncle Akbar Siddique assisted her with the job.
Sadiya’s goal was to gather the village’s youth together in the hopes of changing the course of the community through libraries.
The Maulana Azad Library in Deora, named after India’s first education minister, presently includes hundreds of new and used schoolbooks. The majority of these were obtained through contributions and fundraising.
From Class 1 to 12, the community library has Bihar School Boards + NCERT curriculum books, notes, comics, and even stationery kits. These books can be distributed for free to schoolchildren and others in the village.
Sadiya also maintains a subscription to Hindi and Urdu newspapers and provides coloring and story books to younger children in the libraries.
The library also has books on history, literature, and other topics available for the village youngsters to peruse. The goal is to encourage children and young adults in the hamlet to establish a strong reading habit.
Sadiya estimates that the libraries have approximately 200 daily visitors of all ages. They also have degree books on hand (BA, B.Com, B.Sc).
They also have assistance study materials for those preparing for competitive exams. They continuously attempt to get complimentary subscriptions to various newspapers for charity.
Sadiya assists students with filling out admission paperwork and other administrative tasks. She also runs awareness seminars and campaigns for women and children to raise knowledge of their rights, as well as campaigning for job possibilities.
The Journey
Sadiya now plans to equip the libraries with laptops and internet connectivity so that local children may also benefit from these resources. Although she recently returned to Mumbai, her cousin keeps her up to speed in the library regularly. A mentor sits in the library with the youngsters, while a teacher assists them.
Sadiya is currently organizing scholarships for Deora’s children, and she aims to assemble a group of volunteers to establish libraries in adjacent communities as well.
If you loved reading this article, please read about Meet inspiring Dr. Kurella Vittalacharya who built a library in his village in Telangana having 2 lakh books
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