Sustainable Development Goals
The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals were formalized in 2015 and aim to create impact across urgent challenges, including education, health, and sustainability.
Roots and Colours contributes to several of these goals by using creative tools to support children’s growth and learning. Through coloring books filled with familiar scenes and bilingual captions, the project helps learners build language skills and confidence—advancing SDG 4: Quality Education. It also supports SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being by offering children space for expression and mental calm—especially in areas where support is limited.
Beyond education and well-being, the project strengthens SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities by celebrating local traditions, village life, and surroundings, helping children feel pride in their roots. The books are printed on recycled paper and use local production methods, aligning with SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. Roots and Colours is more than a product—it’s a platform that empowers children, supports families, and strengthens communities through art. It offers a scalable way to promote learning, healing, and sustainability within the global SDG mission.
Our Vision
At Roots and Colours, we believe that every child deserves to feel seen, heard, and proud of who they are. Our vision is to create free, bilingual coloring books that reflect the everyday lives of children in rural Tamil Nadu—whether it's rice fields, kolam designs, or temple festivals—while promoting literacy, emotional expression, and cultural connection. We start with simple tools like crayons and recycled paper, but the impact goes deeper: creative freedom, family bonding, and early education in a way that truly feels personal.
Multiple studies confirm what we’ve seen firsthand: when children engage in art that reflects their surroundings, emotional well-being and learning improve. A study at Oxford’s Blavatnik School reported a 15% improvement in emotional control among 10,000 Tamil Nadu students through weekend art classes like Saturday Art Class¹. Programs by NalandaWay and the ASER Centre also show that students in low-resource settings perform better when activities are hands-on and locally relatable² ³. Our books use bilingual Tamil-English captions to support inclusive early literacy—especially important since many fifth graders in rural Tamil Nadu can read basic text but struggle with more advanced content⁴.
We also know that access matters. Only 35% of rural schools in Tamil Nadu have working computer labs, according to UDISE Plus⁵, and just 58–59% of rural homes have internet access⁶ ⁷. For low-income farming families—highlighted in the Population Foundation of India’s 2023 report⁸—paid educational tools aren’t always an option. Roots and Colours is low-cost, screen-free, and made to be shared within families. Each book invites creativity, sparks pride, and gives children a safe space to express themselves—just like art did for me after my brother passed away.
In partnership with local NGOs in Tamil Nadu, Roots and Colours plans to distribute these books to schools and homes in villages across the state, ensuring they reach children who need them most.
