About Rural Literacy Empowerment

"Those who can read will read."

                                                 -- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

I asked students at our first pilot school where they see themselves in five years. One student told me, “I want to be a teacher so girls like me don’t have to stop studying. I read about someone who changed her village's future, and I want to do the same.”

The power to read is monumental- it can single-handedly change lives. Education is the only long-term solution to bridging economic disparities and driving generational progress. 

I hope to empower underserved communities in rural India by fostering a love for reading among students. Reading has always been my sanctuary- my beloved novels and stories provide me with a safe haven and inspire me to be resilient daily. My first role models were fictional characters who helped me discover my values and ambitions. I believe every child should be able to read and explore their literary fantasies, widen their worldview, and find their path in life.

RLE is committed to educational equity and aims to bridge the gap in rural India by establishing accessible and enriching libraries. We strive to increase access to diverse and representative literature by building libraries with vibrant books, reliable technology, and essential resources.

We raise funds from US donors and collaborate with established non-profits to channel those donations into building libraries. As RLE is still expanding its field team, we partner with nonprofit volunteer teams, local community members, and businesses to conduct needs-based assessments, facilitate the distribution of books, supervise infrastructure enforcement, promote community engagement, and monitor the library’s impact. 

Most book banks in India are redistributing used curriculum books and test-prep workbooks to marginalized students. Obviously, this can leave substantial impacts on students in their academic journeys. However, we at RLE believe reading books should go beyond studying- reading should be a cherished activity, and every child should have the opportunity to read memorable things. Diverse literature is essential for supporting diverse minds and dreams. 

RLE hopes to build libraries and cultivate a myriad of books that feature contemporary authors, allowing students to explore and meet their literary role models, discover their fantastical sanctuaries, find representation, and learn to dream with passion. From pop magazines to action mystery novels; from coming-of-age stories to comic books and science encyclopedias; and from narratives on overcoming sexual violence to resources on improving public speaking, RLE's mission is to ensure every student has access to such a library where they find literature that resonates with their interests, experiences, and dreams.

Furthermore, as we progress through our pilot stages, we hope that these libraries contain inclusive reading materials for all abilities- from digitalized audiobooks in local languages to accommodated books, like in Braille.  Support us in making this possible!

                                                                                                             ~ Shaunya