Child Friendly Libraries: Where reading becomes a habit, not an activity
Sustainable change in education rarely comes from one-off interventions. It emerges when intent is backed by continuity, learning, and course correction.
The ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ (๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ฃ), ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ช ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, is a strong example of this approach in action across 100+ schools in Chitradurga district of Karnataka.
Designed to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN), improve enrollment and retention, and build stronger school ecosystems, the program brings together capacity building, infrastructure, holistic learning, and community engagement.
Within this, the Child Friendly Library (CFL) initiative by ILP offers an important insight: impact compounds when programs are phased, not rushed.
๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ญ focused on
From limited career awareness to informed career choices – A shift families are seeing together
In Kiratpura, Rampur, Bond, Achatt, and Nayagaon villages of Madhya Pradesh, conversations about education and future careers are beginning to change.
Until recently, many parents said they didnโt know how to guide their children beyond school. Career choices felt distant and unclear, and decisions were often made with limited information. Today, that uncertainty is slowly giving way to awareness.
Through the Community Career Guidance Program, children are being introduced to different career paths, and just as importantly, parents are part of that journey.
Families speak about how these sessions have opened up new possibilities, helping them understand what lies ahead after school and
What does real learning look like in an Anganwadi?
Walk into any Anganwadi, and youโll often find children gathered around simple, colorful objectsโsorting, stacking, matching, and laughing as they learn.
๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ (๐ง๐๐ ๐) are at the heart of this experience. They help young children make sense of the world by turning ideas into something they can see and touch. At that age, learning isnโt abstractโitโs physical, playful, and deeply interactive.
What makes TLMs in Anganwadis meaningful is that almost all of them are ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐. Using everyday materials like cardboard, color papers, fabric scraps, seeds, sticks, and bottle caps, teachers create tools that reflect the childโs environment. A counting
Government systems and NGOs join hands to drive change to the last mile
๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ก๐๐ข๐ ๐ท๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ
For a long time, ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ต๐๐ถ๐น ๐ถ๐ป ๐ข๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฎ has remained on the margins. An isolated tribal pocket in Odisha where access to quality education has not always kept pace with ground realities.
Over the past few years, ILP, along with its NGO partner UAC, has been working in this contextโstrengthening the way learning unfolds for children in government schools in this tribal hamlet.
When this work was recently shared with ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น, ๐ฆ๐๐ฏ-๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ, it was presented not as a one-time effort, but as a
From Telangana to Haryana: Exchanging best practices in education
As part of the *๐๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ, Ms. Bindu Sharma from the ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ, along with her team, visited ZPHS Raidurg School in Telangana where ILP is implementing its ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ (๐ฆ๐ง๐ฃ).
During their visit, the Haryana Education Board was introduced to how multiple ILP initiatives come together within the schoolโscience kits that make concepts tangible, experiential learning that moves beyond rote methods, and ICT integrated into everyday teaching to make learning more interactive and accessible. This is complemented by structured career guidance that helps students explore pathways ahead and make
When a school becomes everyoneโs responsibility
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒโ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐
At a government lower primary school in Bagalkot district, Karnataka, responsibility doesnโt rest with the school aloneโit is shared by the entire community.
With 69 children enrolled, the school reflects what happens when parents and the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) stay consistently involved, not just in moments of need, but in everyday functioning.
SDMC members regularly engage with parents, encourage enrolment, and keep track of attendance, mid-day meals, teacher presence, and school resources. Parents, in turn, stay in touch with teachers to understand how their children are progressing.
This consistent involvement led to the school being
What happens when you put ILP Science Kits in the hands of 572 passionate teachers
Across 38 districts in Tamil Nadu, we began to see the answer come alive in classrooms, in conversations, and in the way, science started to feel more real.
572 science teachers from 253 government higher secondary schools came together for a training led by the ILP, in collaboration with the Department of Education, Tamil Nadu, and aligned with ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐โ ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ธ๐ธ๐๐บ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
But what truly stood out wasnโt how the Science Kit was introduced but how the teachers engaged with it.
They didnโt just listen.
They explored.
They experimented.
They asked questions, made observations, and discovered how simple concepts could be turned into powerful learning
When Vidya Saathis start with the child, not the syllabus
Across 40 village learning centres in Odisha, children begin their day with a small but important step, showing up to learn.
Most come from nearby hamlets, often with gaps in their foundational skills. Some struggle to read simple text in Odia, others find basic math difficult. Before they can keep up with their grade-level curriculum, they need a chance to catch up.
This is where the Vidya Saathis come in.
Each Vidya Saathi works closely with a group of 20โ35 children, following a simple, structured plan. 70 hours of focused learning spread over 12 weeks. Instead of rushing ahead, they start where the
What happened when a village decided to invest โน22 lakh in its children
In Bairawadgi village in Karnataka, an Anganwadi has quietly come a long way.
Not long ago, it ran out of a rented space, with just 7โ8 children attending. For many families, it didnโt feel like something they needed to prioritise. Awareness was low, and the centre was simply thereโbut not fully valued.
The change didnโt come overnight. It started with small, steady steps.
Through Pre-School Education (PSE) training, the Anganwadi teachers started bringing more intention into everyday activitiesโunderstanding how children learn, not just what to teach. At the same time, regular meetings with parents and the community opened up conversations around early childhood
Hereโs how 39 students found the courage to try science experiments for the first timeโฆ
At Ekalavya Model Residential School in Tamil Nadu, where many students come from tribal communities with limited academic exposure, a simple but important question emergedโhow do we create an opportunity where they can explore science and feel confident enough to present it on their own?
Three teachers: Rajalakshmi, Nandhini, and Sowndharya chose to move forward with belief.
Over three days, they worked closely with the students breaking down concepts, guiding them through simple experiments, and building confidence step by step. The physics lab gradually came alive not just with materials, but with curiosity, effort, and a quiet sense of excitement.
There were moments
Multi-Dimensional Learning Spaces: Making Learning Visible, Accessible, and Experiential
With support from Epson, ILP has been shaping classrooms across Kolar and Tumakuru through Multi-Dimensional Learning Spaces (MDLS) in 100 schools as part of the 2025โ26 cycle of the programme where learning moves beyond the textbooks and is designed to help children explore, experiment, and learn more effectively.
This builds on a long-standing partnership with Epson since 2017, which has now reached 532 schools and over 55,000 students.
Smart classrooms: NCERT-aligned, open-source visual content (Grades 4โ10) supported by teacher training.
Child-friendly libraries: Curated multilingual books, structured library processes, and reading-level-based access through Hippocampus GROWBY methodology, whereby books
Kishori Melas – Creating safe spaces for girls to ask, learn and understand
Mukhyamantri Sampoorna Pushti Yojana, an Odisha state government initiative, is designed to improve nutrition among women, children, and adolescent girls.
But real change doesnโt come from policy alone; it takes a community to turn intent into action.
Thatโs where the ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐-๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐ ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ comes in.
Here, adolescent girls step into a space that feels safe, open, and their own; not as beneficiaries, but as active participants in their well-being.
They ask questions theyโve held back out of fear and hesitation about health, nutrition, and their changing bodies. And for many, itโs the first time they truly understand their biological system.
Haemoglobin levels are checked. Iron