India book drive comes full circle
In April, the Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence announced a book drive for children in the Himalayas. The initiative was in collaboration with RIWATCH, the Research Institute of World’s Ancient Traditions Cultures and Heritage, to promote reading for children in rural areas. The month-long drive resulted in the collection of four boxes of soft-covered, light-weight books for children and adolescents.
USF public health and social work students traveled to Roing, India, and delivered the reading materials via bicycle.
“The children in India were happy to receive new reading materials,” said Natasha Hojati, a student assistant with the Harrell Center. “A big thanks is sent out to all the involved parties that made this possible.”
Based in the USF College of Public Health Department of Community and Family Health, the mission of The Harrell Center is to develop and integrate knowledge with best practices to strengthen community responses to family violence. In essence, they seek to end family violence by understanding it.
Jessica Gipson, a public health graduate student and president of the Maternal and Child Health Student Organization, presented a book donation to librarian Sathyanarayanan Mundayoor in Roing, India.
Jessica Gipson and librarian Sathyanarayanan Mundayoo with beneficiaries of the book drive in India.
Story and photos courtesy of Natasha Hojati, The Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence