At the heart of Meghalaya, the Sauramandala Foundation is piloting a unique project that bridges illustrated storybooks, early childhood development, and chatbot technology. In a detailed conversation with team members Gladinia and Ritika, we explored how this initiative is shaping up, its challenges, and the promise it holds.

From Design to Delivery: A Creative Journey

“I’m working as an illustrator and designer,” shares Gladinia Pyrtuh, “taking care of the entire look and feel of the books we create.” These are not ordinary books—they are carefully crafted to aid emotional, physical, and educational development in children, especially in remote communities.

Ritika Chetri, who joined six months ago as a data analyst and curriculum developer, adds, “We’re digitising this content using WhatsApp chatbot so Anganwadi workers can deliver it digitally.” 

The Sauramandala Foundation is piloting a program that uses WhatsApp chatbots to distribute early learning content to Anganwadi workers in remote areas of Meghalaya. These workers serve as critical touchpoints in their communities, and the chatbot allows them to easily access storybooks and activity guides in local languages. The goal is to replace costly, hard-to-distribute printed books with digital versions that are accessible, engaging, and trackable — making it easier to support foundational learning for young children even in low-connectivity, low-resource settings.

Their goal is clear: support Anganwadi workers in delivering accessible, digital-first early education.

Books, Bots, and the Road to Scale

The team has created 45 books, nine of which are now being piloted using the chatbot. 

“We want to see if kids can pick up basic skills like ABCs, numbers, colors—and also measure emotional and physical growth through specific activities embedded in the books.” 

Physical copies, however, are costly—one book can cost up to Rs. 350. “We’ve made our books free online, but access is a problem. Not everyone knows how to scan a QR code or use our platform,” says Gladinia. This is where the chatbot becomes crucial.

Building the Bot: Making Tech Friendly

“We designed Glific flows to collect feedback from Anganwadi workers—not just on the book content but also on how useful they found it for children.” says Gladiana. Based on this feedback, the team iterates on the books and bot flows.

“We’re hoping to show the government how this could be a scalable model.” adds Ritika. Group chats between workers, real-time feedback, and multimedia-based learning are all being tested.

Context, Connectivity, and Cultural Gaps

Deploying chatbots isn’t easy. Many communities lack phones or network access. “Some households share one keypad phone. Others don’t know how to use smartphones.” says Ritika.

Moreover, language is a barrier. “We’re working with Khasi and Pnar dialects. Each has unique sounds and scripts, so we’re piloting chatbot translations too.” explains Gladinia.

They also emphasize the region’s diversity. “From Khasi Hills to Garo Hills, it can take 8–9 hours to travel. Climate, culture, language—all change. One solution won’t fit all.” Ritika notes.

Scaling Smart, Scaling Slow

The team is also exploring structured deployments via Google Sheets and Glific’s automation. “We struggled to segment opted-in users but figured it out with Glific guides. The Discord community has been a huge help.” says Gladinia.

Their roadmap includes fellowships, more localized books, and smarter data tracking. “We want to onboard more flows, set up our cloud storage, and create a reusable dashboard.” she says.

The Bigger Vision

Ultimately, the project aims to build learning spaces—digitally and physically—for children cut off from basic educational infrastructure. “We want them to see what the world looks like and decide for themselves.” shares Gladinia.

But there’s skepticism too. “Some parents think Anganwadi workers can’t provide quality education. We hope this work changes that perception.” says Ritika.

The team acknowledges systemic gaps. “NGOs in the Northeast often don’t have tech support. They don’t prioritize data unless there’s a crisis,” Gladinia notes. “We want to create something so simple that any org—even with minimal tech—can adopt.”

As this experiment unfolds, one thing is clear: even in the most remote hills, technology, when localized and empathetically deployed, can transform how education is accessed and delivered.