21/11-2008 13:54, Bishkek – News Agency “24.kg”, By Yulia LIPOVICH
Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP KG)-initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) organized a Book Festival in Gulcho village of Alai rayon, Osh Oblast on November 20, 2008, Burulai Aitikulova, Education Program Officer of the MSDSP KG informed the news agency “24.kg”.
The Book Festival is an activity of MSDSP KG’s Reading for Children project that will highlight progress on the project essential to developing Kyrgyz language books for pre-school and lower primary age children, establishing mini-libraries and training parents in good story-telling and reading techniques in a still vulnerable region.
Over 90 participants from villages across Alai district will gather to demonstrate their creativity in various competitions related to reading and learning. As results of the project one year work there will be some nominations like “The Best Reader of the year” (among children), “Active parents”, “A Reading Family”, “The most Readable Book” and many others. Another inspiring thing for the participants will be presentation of the “Book Written by Ourselves”, selection of children’s, teachers’ and parents’ works.
MSDSP KG has been sponsoring Book Festivals since 2007 to increase awareness on the importance of reading with children and also share and disseminate lessons from the project.
To date, the Reading for Children project has developed and published 14 Kyrgyz language children’s books. With support from the government, it has also established mini-libraries in 11 villages in Osh and Naryn to provide access to books in rural areas. At the same time, MSDSP KG has trained 53 facilitators to conduct workshops with parents and caregivers on the importance of reading to their young children regularly, selecting suitable books and their use in every day life, coach them on reading techniques. The facilitators are currently working with 2,000 parents and caregivers. More than 4,000 readers use the mini-libraries.
Government officials from the Culture and Education Departments and Rayon Administration as well as AKF staff from Moscow and Afghanistan are expected to attend the event.
Ismailimail 