Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

‘Voluminous’ gesture by a young woman from the U.S.

— Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam

Meticulous effort: Milena Lurie with students at the ‘Milena Lurie Library’ at Gandharvakottai in Pudukottai district.

TIRUCHI: It was a proud moment for 13-year-old Milena Lurie, a ninth grade student from Philadelphia, when a children’s library named after her was declared open at an orphanage in remote Gandharvakottai, 45 km away from here, on Thursday.

A volunteer of Global Literacy Project (GLP) of Inc., a U.S.-based non-profit organisation, Ms. Lurie mobilised about 40,000 children’s books, said to be worth nearly Rs.1 crore, for setting up the library at the Lady Lynn Joyful Home for orphans and destitute children run by Integrated Rural Development Centre (IRDC), a voluntary organisation.

She also raised the money required for shipping the books to India with the help of GLP.

Ms. Lurie took up the project after hearing about the orphanage from a family friend, Lady Lynn of the United Kingdom, who helped set up the home.

Encouraged by her mother, Christina Weiss Lurie, and her friends in GLP, she sent scores of e-mails to her friends, urging them to donate books across a wide range of subjects, including language, science, maths and critical thinking. “There was a tremendous response. Even some publishers donated books. I love the kids and hope they will be able to make use of the library well,” said Ms. Lurie rather shyly, conscious of the attention and praise being bestowed upon her.

GLP seeks to foster community-based learning initiatives across the world by bringing together individuals, institutions and communities to share educational material and knowledge, said Kavitha Ramsamy, Vice-President, Outreach, GLP.

Apart from the model library at the Lady Lynn Home, GLP plans to introduce a mobile library and set up community libraries in 10 government-run schools in Gandharvakottai taluk in Pudukottai district.

Conceding that language and the relative high standards of the books could be an immediate barrier for the rural children to make effective use of the libraries, Ms. Kavitha said they would soon appoint well-trained teacher-cum-librarians to help the children utilise the books to the optimum.

“We are here with a five-year plan. We want to integrate the libraries with the curriculum here so that students could get the maximum benefit.”

Emeka Akaezuwa, a GLP volunteer specialising in digital libraries, said he planned to create special software to help children access the books easily.

The libraries would come as a boon not only for the children at the home, which shelters 50 orphans and destitute children, but also to those in the entire taluk.

“We want to see a few scholars emerging from this backward locality,” said S. Pitchairaj, Director, IRDC.

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