One Teacher, One Classroom, One Library Campaign in 2019

One Teacher, One Classroom, One Library campaign is a subcategory of the Read with Me program that is being implemented with the collaboration of the Read with Me Fan Club, a group of volunteers supporting and promoting the Read with Me program. This campaign has been designed to collect donations to cover a larger group of teachers and classrooms with the Read with Me program. Classrooms in the deprived areas of Iran in which schools cannot fund the implementation of the Read with Me program, are the main targets of One Teacher, One Classroom, One Library campaign. This campaign aims to provide small libraries filled with quality books for every classroom as well as tutoring the teachers in Reading Aloud techniques

The campaign started since March 2019 and has been able to cover more than 80 teachers and promoters across Iran, in the course of past year. Among the achievements of this campaign is the coverage of hospitalized children, marginalized children in the brick kilns of Tehran, children in Qeshm Island villages, as well as Zabol, Shiraz, Khuzestan, Hormozgan, Esfahan and Kermanshah provinces.

By visiting our website, khanak.org, teachers sign up for the campaign and if their application meets our requirements, they join the Read with Me program. With financial support from campaign patrons, these teachers are trained in Read with Me “Read-aloud” and “Children’s Literature” workshops. They are provided with quality books and activity sheets and receive a book display to be installed in their classrooms. These teachers are in constant contact with Read with Me experts, send activity reports and seek guidance.

Below, you can read reports of a number of active teachers covered by the campaign.

The two sisters at Jiko Creative Institution in Qeshm Island filled the campaign application while attempting to financially support part of the expenses through collecting local contributions in order to give more promoters the opportunity to join the campaign. Besides founding Jiko institution, one of the sisters is school deputy head teacher who uses every chance (field trips, recession, …) to promote book reading.

The other sister is a restless volunteer promoter who visits charity and cultural centers and parks to read-aloud to children. She always carries a book in her purse to read to children even when she goes to beach.

Farah is an active volunteer who holds read-aloud sessions for children in hospitals. She regularly visits the hospital every week and has been able to invite other volunteers to the program and join them. They have all participated in workshops held voluntarily by one of the Read with Me experts and have become reading promoters for children.

Campaign among Zabol Teachers

in the past year, 28 teachers in different regions of Zabol joined the campaign. These teachers have participated in the workshops held by a Read with Me ambassador and are currently implementing the program in their classrooms. Read with Me ambassadors are selected teachers who have been trained by the program for years and are now eligible to hold their own Read with Me workshops and spread children’s literature in their regions.

Dourbani Village

Dourbani is a village in Qeshm Island. Rasoul Library joined the campaign in Summer 2019 and received book packages. The three librarians at this library are extremely active in holding read-aloud sessions and related activities. The head librarian is constantly on the move to communicate with centers in and out of their village and lend them books. This library also welcomes kindergarteners of the village and hold read-aloud sessions for them as well.

Zahra is a creative reading promoter and volunteer who joined the Read with Me program through the campaign in March 2019. She has been travelling to Bashagard villages in Hormozgan province with her book backpack ever since. She has equipped three classrooms with Read with Me quality books.

MahmoudAbad Brick Kilns

In Summer 2019, 4 active reading promoters joined the campaign and received three book backpacks filled with quality books. These promoters go to different brick kilns in the margins of Tehran and hold read-aloud sessions for children living in this area. Upon seeing these promoters, children excitedly call each other, stop working for a brief moment and gather around to taste the joy of childhood.

Ali is a volunteer promoter in Fars province who holds read-aloud sessions for children in deprived areas of Fasa.

After 10 years of working with Afghani immigrant children, Samin joined the campaign in August 2019. She holds read-aloud sessions every week in children’s homes. In addition to thes sessions, she also lends quality books to children.