It takes a community of donors to raise a community of children who read. For years,
folks of Panjim have ensured that books go to kinds who cannot afford them
through the sales of old clothes, other stuff and yes course, books, that
people donate. And as the time comes for the annual jumble sale which in turn
results in funds to buiy books, its time to salute one of the best community
driven success stories in Goa
“I start receiving calls in December
itself, enquiring about the sale. Donors keep aside things they would like to
donate for the sale and donations start coming in almost a month before the
sale date. It is very exciting for us at Bookworm as we don’t do any
fundraising initiatives for the year except the jumble sale. It is a diverse
community coming together and it creates a great fair-like atmosphere at the
sale. There is great energy and a spirit of enthusiasm,” says Sujata Noronha.,
the head of Bookworm and its guiding light
Bookworm operates with the vision ‘To
inspire and develop a love for reading as a way of life, nurturing humane
engagement in every girl and boy’. They take over 30,000 books through their
library, libraries in schools, mobile outreach program, professional
development and other library initiatives in a year to children who deserve it
the most.
“These donations are critical for us as the funds raised reach
children for reading. One donor can help a huge community. We also collect
reusable materials that are then recycled creatively and sold at our annual
garage sale. It is quiet hectic as we have to sort, separate, package and put a
price tag on each item. These are then set up at stalls according to category. After
the sale, the remaining items have to be packed in boxes again,” says Noronha.
The first-come-first-served and open-to-all event attracts people of different
walks of life.
Donations are received at the Bookworm Library in Fontainhas,
Panjim. After the sale, the surplus is passed on to those in most need of the
items, especially clothes. “We receive an abundance of clothes. Unfortunately,
they are very fancy or fabrics are not suitable for daily use. For the past 2-3
years, we have been moving it on to Goonj, a non profit organisation in Mumbai.
They are boxed and transported to the centre,” adds Noronha.
The most plundered item of the treasure are books. As a library,
Bookworm gets the first piece of the cake. “Books are the strongest selling
items and we check which books are coming in and can be read to children.
Interesting books are also selected for our second hand book library. We don’t
keep books that have morals as we want the children to derive their own
learnings from the story. Books of which we have enough copies of in our
library are put up for sale. There are many pre-primary and kindergarten
schools that buy books at the annual sale,” says Noronha.
This
weekend will be a great time to have a closer glance at items in your home that
you need and which are fit enough to be sold to a new home. Clothes your
children have outgrown, a lampshade you didn’t know existed in your home or the
DVD player that has been replaced by your smart TV, all these items turn into
books for the young generation.
