The Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust (VMFT) implemented a pilot Bilingual Reading Program for Grade 5 students in two disadvantaged coastal communities in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The program had three objectives: to increase children’s interest and enjoyment in reading; to improve reading comprehension in both Malayalam and English through a structured bilingual approach; and to test whether such a program could be implemented successfully as a practical and scalable model in schools and community learning centres.