Taking the books to the children
A book can change the world; that is the firm belief of Mahinda Dasanayaka who, whilst working as a Government employee, is running a highly successful mobile library for children in rural areas.
A graduate of the Rajarata University, Mahinda’s first job in 2014 was as an officer attached to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) unit at the Yatiyantota Divisonal Secretariat. As part of his work, he had to travel extensively to rural villages for various advisory programmes. He received an allowance of Rs 2,500 for each trip. He saved up this allowance over many months until he had Rs 25,000 with him. He spent Rs 23,000 to purchase a motorbike and the balance on a box capable of holding the books which he used when starting his first mobile library, which he launched in 2017 at the village of Wathura.
Titled “Pothai Mamai” (Book and Me), Mahinda’s mobile library project is now in operation in villages across all 11 Divisional Secretariat Divisions in the Kegalle District and serves all communities.
He now has a collection of about 1,000 books, both fiction and non-fiction, that he lends to children each week when he visits their villages after work and during Government holidays. He ensures that he visits each village on his mobile library every week.
About 500 children are now registered with Mahinda’s mobile library, and he does not even levy fines from them when they are late returning the books they borrowed. He also takes steps to discuss with children the books they have read from the library.
A father of two children himself, Mahinda credits his wife Rasika with helping him to make his mobile library a success, noting that it was she who first donated books she had been collecting from childhood for him to start his mobile library.