“There are many little ways to enlarge a child’s world. The love of books is the best of all."

Jacqueline Kennedy

 

The Belakoo Microlibraries are our initiative to encourage under-privileged students to read and cultivate the habit of reading. We partnered with TrashCon to build Belakoo Microlibraries, created from sustainable materials. Our Microlibary is minimalistic in infrastructure and can be set up on the roadside or just outside a school or apartment complex. It can house over 125 books at any point in time and impact over 100 underprivileged children living in the locality. 

 

Our free-for-all libraries are being set up across the city to kindle the love for reading and sharing books among the underprivileged. Our very first Belakoo Microlibrary at Hebbal was inaugurated by Shri. Krishna Byre Gowda, MLA, Congress Party. Our gratitude goes to Shri. Krishna Byre Gowda for his support. Belakoo Trust’s next microlibrary was installed and inaugurated at RMV II Stage in namma Bengaluru. We thank Shri. Jyothi Ganesh MLA, BJP, Tumkur City constituency, for gracing the occasion and supporting us in our endeavour to spread the joy and love of reading. 

 

In a short span, the Belakoo Microlibrary initiative got awarded the India CSR Award, Velga Memorial Award in December 2021. Esteemed Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri. Basavaraj Bommai handed over the award to the trustees. The award recognized the potential and the far-reaching impact the microlibrary project can create as scale progresses.

 

Impact of the program: 

 

The impact of this program lies in its 

• A low-cost implementation which makes it very scalable. The costs of setting up a regular library involves renting real estate, licensing/franchising and employing staff to keep track of and control access. 

• Belakoo’s model eliminates all of these overheads straight out, giving direct access to the books to those who need them the most. This makes the Belakoo Micro Library concept beautifully scalable, and we’ve not even begun to describe the joy of watching young children pass by, ponder curiously, and venture to explore and pick up a book. 

• The model eventually expects the book to be returned, but equally important is the fact that the books must reach the right hands and nurture young minds. 

• Every book then becomes a touch point for us at the Trust, encouraging engagement with young minds and inculcating a love for reading and sharing knowledge.

 

Cost of sponsoring a Microlibrary: 15,000 INR. Click here to sponsor a Belakoo microlibrary today.