User:John Cummings/Archive/Muskan Ahirwar

Muskan Ahirwar is a young educator and librarian from Bhopal, India. In 2016, when she was 9 years old, she created a community library for children named Kitabi Masti (fun with books). The library is built in the common space of Durganagar worker’s colony in Arera Hills of Bhopal where she lives. She started it with her sister Neha to serve the children who live in the area. The library was started with 25 books hung on a string outside her house. The library has since moved to a dedicated building and has been expanded to over 1,000 books through contributions of books from places in India as well as the United States, South Africa, and other countries.

Awards

 * 2016: Women Transforming Award by NITI Aayog for her work
 * 2016: Thought Leader award by NITI Ayog in New Delhi. (These first two references are really confusing, need help)
 * 2017: Awarded a grant by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to fund development of the library.
 * 2018: Princess Diana Award, Sushiksha Awards.
 * 2019: Food4Thought Foundation IRO-iambond under 18 award.
 * 2019: India Reading Olympiad, Hyderabad Literature Festival
 * 2020: Devi Awards Indore countdown series.
 * 2023: Children's Champion Award by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
 * 2023: Vivekanand State Youth Award

She was also commended by Madhya Pradesh UNICEF Field Office Chief, Michael Juma