Kitab Dost to inculcate reading habit amongst children

Rawalpindi:Recreational reading has become redundant with children spending most of their time with television, tablets, cell phones and video games. Another factor for children losing interest in books is the lack of encouragement provided in both homes and schools. Less than attractive content and poor illustrations are also a deterrent and books are neither relatable nor compressible.

The Association of Business, Professional and Agricultural Women (ABP&AW)’s ‘Kitab Dost’ project gained momentum once again as the volunteer team visited a low income area in Saddar. The community rallied around the team and managed to gather around 42 small children some out of school.

The aim and objective of the ‘Kitab Dost’ Project (an initiative of the KPK Branch of ABP&AW) is to inculcate reading habits in children from their initial and formative years. The programme started with the recitation from the Holy Quran by one of the kids. This was followed by an interactive session conducted by General Secretary Asma Naveed. She engaged them with question and answers relating to Pakistan and its National heroes.

President ABP&AW (IR Branch) Tahmeena Malik then read out classic stories like ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’ and the ‘Greedy Dog’ with colorful illustrations emphasising the moral of the story. She added that the benefits of reading included better critical thinking and analytical skills, creative writing and building sufficient vocabulary. She also sang some favorite nursery rhymes and national songs with the children. The team then distributed age appropriate colourful and pictorial story books free of cost to the sheer delight of the children. The session was the fifth in a series of such activities with a promise to return and have follow up visits to ascertain the progress of the project. The programme befittingly concluded with the national anthem and distribution of snacks and goodie bags.