Fatima Margoshvili came up with an idea to establish a library and a literary club during an inter-community training organized by the Europe Foundation. The training touched upon activism, the role, and the participation of young people in the development of society and community. After gaining knowledge and experience, she analyzed severe problems existing within the community and decided to set up a reading room.

“There did not exist a public library, equipped with modern literature, in the Pankisi Gorge, neither was there a bookstore, while young people were interested in fiction or scientific literature very much”.

Fatima volunteered, assumed the responsibility, wrote the project, consulted with representatives of the Europe Foundation, enquired young people about the type of literature they would be interested in, and purchased about 200 books with the support of the Foundation. Implementation of the project coincided with the pandemic period, however, this did not become a reason for hindrance.

“The reading room operates in the village of Duisi in the Pankisi Gorge. This is the only place in the valley where young people can find literature they are interested in and, therefore, they visit us very often. Due to the pandemic, meeting in the library is limited, although, adhering to the rules, we still manage to gather and land books for some time”. There are also held discussions on both literacy and literature together with invited speakers at the club. Participants exchange their thoughts and share emotions about what they have read.

Local youth initiated a “Put Your Book” campaign to enrich the library with books. As a result, the reading room was filled with gift books too. The National Parliamentary Library of Georgia also participated in the campaign and donated about 150 books to the Pankisi reading room.

Fatima considers that volunteering and youth activism is very important for community development – “The more young people participate in volunteering activities, the sooner our environment is going to change for the better. Big things start small”...