Happiness and Hope for the Future

Geographical Location: Zahedan, Sistan and Balouchestan Province
Number of Children: 300
Number of Teachers: 3
Start Date: March 2015

Since December 2014, the Read with Me project along with the cooperation of the Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature and the Shahpari Association has been implemented in AliAsghar Hospital for children suffering from Thalassemia and Hemophilia. The Shahpari Association which was founded in 2013, has focused its efforts on empowering the cultural and educational levels of girls and women in Sistan & Balouchestan. It has done so by performing several projects. One of these projects is “Happiness and Hope for the Future”. This project is implemented in four phases. Improving the ambiance of the patient’s room, Storytelling, Reading Aloud and holding educational courses. Read with Me is in fact, the third phase of this project which is performed for the children in AliAsghar Hospital.

Overview

On the average, each Thalassemia patient must be hospitalized every 21 days for blood transfusion. In the “Happiness and Hope for the Future” project, an hour before the blood transfusion, tutors read books aloud for 2-12 year old children and 13-17 year old teenagers in two distinct groups. As a result, a joyful atmosphere has been created not only for the children but also for the hospital personnel.

For this project, 463 books have been supplied by the Shahpari Association .10 volumes of the History of Children’s Literature have been sent by the institute to equip the library of AliAsghar Hospital. Children can borrow books from the library between their two visits. According to the mothers, before this project, children used to avoid going to the hospital. But now, they even ask their mothers when their next visit is, and joyfully go there. This program has created and amplified the spirit of curiosity, interest in reading aloud and sympathy in these children.