Omid Library

Geographical location: Omid Library, Bashagard, Sardasht, Hormozgan Province
Number of Members: 360
Start Date: June 2019
Supporter: Ms. Ramezani

Read with Me established Omid Library in Bashagard, Hormozgan and started its activities in June 2019.

Bashagard is located in the east of Hormozgan, 300km from the center, surrounded by villages. Because it is far from the center and lacks asphalt roads and basic amenities, it is considered as one of the most deprived areas in Hormozgan. To arrive at Bashagrd, one must pass bumpy, meandering roads with dangerous gorges for hours just to see the deprivation with one’s own eye.

Sardasht, the center of Bashagard region, was the most geographically suitable place for establishing a “Read with Me” library. After having finished 6th grade, all Bashagard students come to Sardasht to continue their studies. “Omid” is the first library ever built in this city. It is located at a boarding high school with more than 200 students, 13 to 16 years of age. 120 of the students are from nearby villages and live in dorm rooms.

Activities

In Omid library, in addition to Reading Aloud sessions, some students take quality books to their villages to lend to children. These teenage librarians have participated in one-day workshops on reading promotion and how to use Read with Me book packages.

Of the most important projects currently being carried out in this library is the “Book Ambassador” project. Motivated students take book back packs on the weekends and read books to the children of their villages. In the short amount of time that this project has started, it has been evident that these book ambassadors have carried it out so beautifully that they have been able to bring the atmosphere of Omid Library into their villages.

Literacy-rich and creative classes, read-aloud and book review sessions as well as theatre and performance are among other important activities of this library.

Following the first steps of this project, more than 500 quality books for different age-groups, with a variety of genres and subjects were provided for the library.

Omid library was established by the supports of Ms. Ramezani in memory of her father.