Through the Library program, Hasiru Dala promotes informal education to nurture children from communities forced into waste-picking.

• We create a nurturing space for children
• We encourage creative expression among children
• We extend the reach of libraries to migrant communities through mobile libraries

Hasiru Dala started the library program in 2017 at Banashankari, Bangaluru and later spread it to Mysuru (2017), Tumkur (2018), Chamarajanagar (2023), Chikkaballapura (2022), Hubli-Dharwad (2020)and Rajahmundry (2021). Currently, we run 6 community libraries and 8 mobile libraries across these locations and engage with over 2,000 children.

The libraries are open everyday, 4 to 8pm. We involve children in creative activities like storytelling, songs,, dance, debates, theatre etc. Through these activities we aim to nurture their reading, writing and creative potential.

Our work is focused in helping the children tap into their hopes, skills and know-hows and support them in realising their dreams.

Every year, Buguri staff members are trained in different aspects of library education by external facilitators. Along with that, every week our librarians have a supervision call with our internal facilitator – Anuradha, who works with the librarians to develop curriculum and helps them in engaging with the children using picture books and other creative activities.

In the communities, we conduct book displays, parents meetings and awareness programs. We involve community members in our celebrations and invite them to be co-creators of the space. We also help parents in understanding the needs of children. For example, we identified a child with a learning disability and counselled his parents to make the right decision in supporting him with special education.

In some libraries, Hasiru Dala conducts theatre workshops. These workshops create a platform for the children to express their own problems and issues within the community. These plays have been performed in various communities and auditoriums.

Our primary aim is to avail social security for children from communities forced into waste-picking. We have assisted over 1300 children in availing govt schemes and different social security benefits. We also support them in education and health related concerns.

We organize health camps and provide necessary medicines. We identify malnourishment in children and support them with eggs, protein and vitamin supplements.

Every summer, we conduct workshops and camps for children to engage them during their summer holidays. Through storytelling, read aloud, art and craft, we try to convey the importance of education and the hopes and dreams that education can enable. In the end, we distribute school bags and stationary kits to encourage children to go back to school. Last year, we were able to distribute over 2500 school kits to children.

We also support youth, some of whom are forced to drop out of education, to get trained in vocational and entrepreneurial skills.

For those children needing financial support, Hasiru Dala supports with scholarships. We help children avail government scholarships and in cases that is not possible, we offer them financial support directly. Over 250 children have benefited through our scholarship program.

Some of the children are forced to dropout of schools. We counsel them and help them get back to schools. In cases where there is a need to send them to hostels, we facilitate that process as well. Till date, over 200 children have been sent to hostels and child care centres.

Hasiru Dala conducts various awareness programs for children and community members to help them be aware of their fundamental rights. Awareness about child marriage, child labour, and substance dependance are conducted throughout the year. Over 250 awareness sessions were conducted last year.

We also conduct awareness through street plays. The plays, developed by children from the libraries, are performed in communities where Hasiru Dala functions and the plays talk about substance abuse and women’s rights.