DUSHANBE, November 26, 2012, Asia-Plus — The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) Tajikistan has launched the
Reading for Children
project in Tajikistan.
This project is a joint initiative of AKF and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a source at AKF Tajikistan said.
Based on the experience of a successful similar project that has been implemented by AKF Tajikistan in Gorno Badakhshan since 2010, the project reportedly targets eight districts in Khatlon province (Jilikul, Qumsangir, Rumi, Yovon, Vakhsh, Sarband, Muminobod and Khovaling) and three districts in Gorno Badakhshan (Rushan, Roshtqala and Ishkashim), AKF Tajikistan said.
Over a two-year period, 246 mini-libraries will be established and some 30 original titles for preschoolers will be published. In all, 15,700 parents and 26,200 children in Khatlon and Gorno Badakhshan are expected to get benefit from the project.
“We will work with two Institutes for Professional Development (these institutes provide full in-service teacher training and education management support for primary and secondary school teachers) in Khatlon province on the “Reading for Children” project,” said the source. “The project aims to promote development of capacities and skills of local authors in preparing reading materials and books for preschoolers. The authors will prepare reading materials based on ever-day-life examples as well as cultural traditions and oral history of the Tajik people meeting children’s age and perception.”
The source stressed that the Ministry of Education and the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Tajikistan would participate in all stages of implementation of the project.
Reading for Children
is a project aimed at building children’s interest in reading, raising their aptitudes and strengthening family bonds. The results enhance children’s ability to learn and prepare them for lifelong learning.
The
Reading for Children
project was reportedly piloted for the first time in Kyrgyzstan in 2006 and to-date, the project has been implemented in nine countries of the world.
According to information posted on the website of PartnershipsInAction, an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation USA, the
Reading for Children
program began in Kyrgyzstan with an aim to instill in children a love for books and enthusiasm for reading. It does this in three ways, by: increasing access to quality storybooks through mini-libraries; encouraging parents and other caregivers to read with their children; and nurturing Kyrgyz storytellers and engaging them in the publication of those books.
