Grandparent’s Storytelling Session Sparks A Community-Led Library

[Sadia Jafrin]

I am incredibly proud to be a daughter of Byaspur village. My love for my village, stories, and books has always been at the heart of my journey. This blog is a reflection of how a small idea in our community has sparked meaningful change, strengthened bonds, and nurtured a culture of storytelling and reading.

Listening to the Elders

In Hijlipara, many grandparents shared that they often felt alone. They recalled how their own grandchildrens had not spent much time with them and sometimes felt their presence was insignificant. Their daily lives lacked meaningful engagement.

In August 2024, during a SALT conversation, grandparents shared that their grandchildren spent most of their time on mobile phones. They felt the need to create an opportunity to connect with their grandchildren and pass on their wisdom, knowledge, values, and stories.

The Birth of Grandparent’s Storytelling Sessions

From these SALT conversations, a beautiful idea emerged: organizing two storytelling sessions every month. Seven grandparents came together to make this vision a reality. Initially, nine households participated, but over time, the number grew to 22 households, engaging 59 members, including parents.

These sessions slowly became a community festival, offering grandparents a meaningful way to spend their time while preserving culture, strengthening family bonds, teaching values, reducing screen time, improving mental wellbeing, encouraging literacy, and fostering social cohesion.

Expanding the Impact

Grandparents noticed that their collection of stories had run out, and if they repeated the same stories, the children sometimes lost interest. To keep the sessions engaging, they wished collecting a few storybooks for reading. Mothers could also participate, reading stories to their children, while children themselves could start reading independently.

In response, Grow Your Reader Foundation lent 50 books to the community, and the sessions flourished. Inspired by this success, we collaborated with the community to install a small library. This allowed children to read regularly not only during grandparent's storytelling sessions but also in their leisure time while parents and grandparents actively motivated them.

Witnessing Community Ownership

Seeing the community take ownership of the library has been inspiring. The children’s growing interest in reading and the active involvement of parents and grandparents highlight the beauty of community-led initiatives. Change has happened naturally through community led repeated actions, without needing large funds or rigid plans. 

The community has demonstrated that they understand their own needs better than anyone else. Sustainable change arises when people take ownership, and habits evolve through repeating the same actions.

A Story of Hope and Connection

What started as a small conversation in a SALT session has transformed into a vibrant, ongoing movement of storytelling, reading, and shared learning. It shows the power of listening, collaboration, and community-driven action.

In Hijlipara, the grandparents are no longer alone. Children are discovering the joy of stories. Parents are involved. And a culture of learning, care, and connection continues to grow. This is the true power of community ownership—a sustainable change born from love, care, and collective action.

[Sadia Jafrin]

Thank you Rituu for your question. 

Who manages the library? The library is fully community-managed. The primary custodian is Sufia Begum, the grandmother who initiated the storytelling sessions. She acts as the central figure of the library—everyone seeks her permission to borrow books, and she knows the total number of books. Her daughter-in-law, Afsana, also supports the management by reminding children to return books and collecting them if needed. Overall, grandparents, parents, and children jointly share ownership and responsibility.

How do they track borrowed books? There is no formal register or tracking system. Instead, the system relies on trust and social accountability. Sufia Begum keeps a mental record of the books, and children usually return them directly to her. Afsana gives gentle evening reminders for returns.

How do they ensure children are actually reading the books? Reading is ensured through active community engagement rather than formal monitoring. Children read books during storytelling sessions and also in their free time. Since storytelling gatherings are regular and intergenerational, adults naturally observe which children are reading and engaging with stories. The strong sense of ownership, frequent interaction, and collective involvement ensure that books are not just borrowed—but meaningfully read.

Here is the full story: https://growyourreader.org/the-story-of-hijlipara/

[Rituu B. Nanda]

Who is managing the library Sadia? How do they keep a record of the books issued but more importantly they were read by the children? Thank you

[Nishat Tasnim Liza]

How small, heartfelt ideas can spark lasting change when a community takes ownership. Well done

[Brinty Saha]

Sometimes, we tend to give more focus on youths. Meanwhile, older people has lot of strengths to mobilize the community. Grandparent's storytelling session is a perfect example of utilizing community strengths, resources that we ignore sometimes.

[Sadia Jafrin]

Thank you very much Parvez bhai and Rowshon apu for your kind words. 

[Rowshon Benthi Hossain]

This is a heartfelt and meaningful initiative! I have many cherished memories with my grandma, but when she passed away, I felt very alone and missed her deeply. Nowadays, children often grow up apart from their extended families and miss out on the special love and affection that grandparents provide. I hope this initiative will help create wonderful memories for these children and bring them closer to that warmth.

[Parvez Hassan]

This is truly inspiring! 
It’s amazing how a small idea can bring such deep connection within a community. The storytelling sessions beautifully bridge generations — preserving culture, spreading love, and nurturing a shared habit of learning.
Every part of this initiative reflects care, creativity, and the true power of community. So proud and deeply moved by this journey!❤️😊