Reading Improvement for Underprivileged Children

Sharanya, a student of grade 11 of Pathways School, Noida  created the Inkva project in 2021. With the support of Smile India Trust, Inkva has grown steadily. By 2025, the reading program has reached over 800 children from urban poor village schools in Noida, helping them build stronger reading skills and develop a love for learning.

The Inkva Project began as "ReadWithSharanya" in 2021, during the pandemic, from Sharanya’s home. It started with teaching her maid’s children how to improve their reading skills. In the very first class, she realized that the kids were reading words without truly understanding their meaning—mostly guessing their way through the text. This highlighted a significant issue, particularly among underprivileged children from low-income families attending under-resourced schools, in terms of literacy development.  
 

This insight led to the creation of the Inkva Project. 

It is a non-profit initiative started in 2021 to help children from underserved communities learn to read English with confidence and accuracy. Many older students from underprivileged background struggle with reading because they develop the habit of guessing words instead of truly decoding them. This blocks their progress in higher learning.

Inkva uses a science-based method that reprograms the brain for fluent reading. Through structured drills, children are taught to decode words step by step, build vocabulary using roots and patterns, and strengthen comprehension with regular practice. The program is designed as a 5-week workshop that delivers measurable improvement in reading skills and creates long-term impact on learning outcomes.