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 Sharing the Gift of Imagination
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| bookwallah adventures | August 2011, Issue 4 |
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Greetings!
Did you know that Asia is "missing" an estimated 160 million females - more than the entire U.S. female population?*
While I read statistics on this subject before, I never really truly understood the plight of girls in developing countries more so than during my most recent visit to India. The impact of choices made in the past are now felt in streets and modern coffee shops sprouting in the major cities. The eery realization that I was one of the few women walking in broad daylight amidst the crazy dance of auto rickshaws, automobiles, bicycles, and bullock carts felt like a scene from a science fiction movie. Except, this scene was reality in a nation whose population is expected to surpass China by 2030 and whose GDP is growing at 8.5%. The women I spoke with during my visit mentioned they too have increasingly noticed this situation and that it seemed to be prevalent in regions where there is less education. While some individuals chose to take drastic measures to reduce the "burden" of a girl child, others chose to leave them in doorsteps of orphanages.
In this issue, we highlight two girl orphanages in Asia where Bookwallah provided the books, created the reading space, and launched the reading sessions. While we cannot turn back the clock, we can definitely impact the future of these girls who live in these orphanages and who through Bookwallah programs will be inspired to live a life and shape a future in ways they could not have imagined or dreamed of before.
Warm regards,
*"Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men"
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libraries for girls successfully launched
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Immersed in Magic of a Book
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| | Excited with New "Rainbow Library" (Video link) |
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Reading Letter Written by U.S. Bookwallah Buddy (Video link)
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Bookwallah successfully launched the Rainbow Library at the Rainbow Girls Home in India with
the help of M.A.D. volunteers. The girls were very proud of the new library they helped paint in "rainbow colors". We selected a solid blue carpet to tone the room down slightly and make it comfortable for curling up to a good book. St. Mary's of the Woods in Illinois donated the initial supply of storybooks. Reading sessions are being conducted twice a week. As of a couple weeks ago, 20 of the 60 girls are reading at least at the minimal basic level (green). Progress reports of the girls' well-being and reading levels will be obtained in the next several months. Please read the blog written by a Make a Difference volunteer for a very vibrant description of the Rainbow Girls Library launch. |
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Girls of Nural Making Decorations
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Transporting Books to Jogja
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Stocking Books in New Space
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| Bookwallah successfully launched the Nural Yasmin Library at the Nural Yasmin Orphanage in Indonesia. The orphanage is a home for teenage girls. This library was made possible with the help of Aria Widyanto (Bookwallah's volunteer Country Director in Indonesia) and his team of volunteers and donors- Dwi Wahyu Arif of NGO Senyum, Sarah Hutauruk who donated 600+ books, Yuli Prihatiningtyas, Arif Nugroho who is organizing the reading sessions, and Gitta Yusuf who helped us get our first corporate donation from investment banking firm Rothschild. Since the orphanage is a home for teenage girls, we used more subdued colors- notice Bookwallah colors!
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| upcoming projects | |
Bookwallah signed a memorandum of understanding and approved the following orphanages and children's homes. The launch of the libraries will be held in the next couple of months. Every project requires customized planning and execution. We are seeking passionate and energetic volunteers and role models in India and Indonesia. Your presence alone inspires the children in these homes. If you are interested, please email us at volunteer@bookwallah.org.
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St. Patrick's Boys Home- Bangalore (Bengalaru), INDIA Gary Mills (G. Riley Mills)- Co-Founder of Bookwallah visited and approved this home for boys. 65 boys reside in the home between the ages of 3-17 years old. We will move forward with implementation of this project with the help of our partner, M.A.D.
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Bina Insani- Jogjakarta, INDONESIA Girl orphanage. The girls in this orphanage are between elementary and high school ages. We noticed the few existing books included textbooks, magazines, and the Koran. There were no books of interest for the girls.
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 | SOS Children's Village- Pune, INDIA One of the houses in the grounds will be converted into a library for 200 children. An additional 200 children from the local area will participate in the reading sessions. Mr. Sharma, village director, strongly believes in the transformational aspect of reading storybooks and chapter books.
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 | Joy's Home for Children- Hyderabad, INDIA
Bookwallah's first rural project in India. This home is located in one of the poorest villages of Andhra Pradesh. The space in this photo will be converted into library for 30 boys and girls. Kavitha Krishnaraj, volunteer Hyderabad Bookwallah Chapter Lead/Liaison and Tony Baby, volunteer program manager will lead the efforts. An additional 47 Banjera tribal children from the nearby village will be invited to sit in on reading sessions. |
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bookwallah community- creating quilts for libraries
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We are always receptive to new ideas if it means communities can get globally involved, engaged, and connected. One of our U.S. volunteers, Susan C., came up with an excellent idea - create storybook quilts for the children's reading areas (Bookwallah Reading Rug program) to add elements of color, warmth, and inspiration. We kicked off the quilt project during the launch of Rainbow Girls Home. The pilot was so successful that we are expanding the project to include quilt makers, schools such as The Paintbrush in Chicago, and corporate volunteer groups. If you are interested in creating quilts or working on a phase of the process, please contact us at volunteer@bookwallah.org.
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Rainbow Girls Orphanage Drawing on Quilt titled "My Nature"
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Susan and Friends in U.S. in Creative Discussion
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The Paintbrush in Chicago Brainstorming Themes for the Quilts
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| volunteer of the quarter | |
Bookwallah Volunteer of the Quarter!
Meet Mithun Chakraborty. He currently lives in Kolkata, India (formerly known as Calcutta). Mithun generously has been donating his skills and time to help Bookwallah with its website initiatives- certainly not an easy task! He currently works for Deloitte Consulting and has a company called Imtech Solutions that focuses on web & graphic design and mobile technology & solutions.
Why volunteer for Bookwallah:
"Bookwallah Organization is doing very noble work for orphanages around the world. If Seena & others who are supporting Bookwallah can do such a good job for Orphanages then why shouldn't I. That is the main thing which inspires me to volunteer for Bookwallah."
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| upcoming events for 2011 | |
SAVE the DATE: Mid-December 2011
Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
Please join us in December for Bookwallah's largest fundraiser! The event will be held in beautiful Vancouver, Canada thanks to our host Sunil Ghai. The event is being managed by Speciality Events and Travel. Great silent auction items! Ticket sales are expected to begin in October. Watch for an invitation in your inbox. We look forward to seeing you there!
 SAVE the DATE: Thursday, November 10, 2011- 6PM
Chicago, Illinois United States
It seems like yesterday since Bookwallah had its first fundraiser at Schubas in Chicago in November 2010. We look forward to seeing old friends and new at this small, intimate, and fun location. Watch for an invitation in your inbox and we look forward to seeing you there!
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| bookwallah financials- 2010 expenses | |
Bookwallah filed our first tax returns with U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Our total revenue for 2010 was $30,346. We spent 93% of our expenses in program implementation. A copy of IRS forms has been posted on our website.
Those donating over $100 in 2011 will be listed in our 2011 annual report (out in 2012) unless otherwise instructed by the donor. Our donor recognition program is currently being developed and will include recognition gifts such as plaques in the name of loved one, family, or sponsor, art quilt made by the children of a sponsored project, photo album with messages from the children, and more.
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| sharing our story- media | | Thank you to Loni Swain, On-Air Personality at WGCI for interviewing Bookwallah. Watch for video cast in October/November! For Bookwallah media coverage to date, please visit the media section of our website. |
| you can help- donate now |
 | | Share the Gift of Imagination |
Please support Bookwallah if you believe that sharing the gift of imagination will make a tremendous impact to the lives of these children. A monthly donation of $5 can go a long way.
Bookwallah Organization is a 501(c)3 corporation. You can submit a donation through our website or make a check payable to "Bookwallah Organization". Mail to: 319 North Albany Chicago, IL 60612 U.S.A.
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