BiblioWorks presents at the Feria Internacional del Libro 2014
- Posted In : News
- 1 : comment
Maritza with renowned children’s author, and organiser of the conference, Gaby Vallejo
On Friday the 7th of November, BiblioWorks were excited to present at the Jornadas de Literatura Infantil y Lectura, a two day event which is part of the annual Feria Internacional del Libro in Cochabamba. We were delighted to share the platform with numerous other organizations from around Bolivia, all of whom gave illuminating presentations about their strategies for bringing literacy and reading to local communities.
Our Director, Maritza Valdez, delivered an inspiring speech about the innovative methods of encouraging children to read that we have implemented here at BiblioWorks. She discussed the success of our Parque Biblioteca Infantil in the Unidad Educativa of Tomoroco, where a variety of different play areas, including a reading corner, a giraffe and serpent made from recycled materials, and a number of reading and number games are promoting literacy and group learning. Maritza also talked about the success of our key events, Sucre Reads and our annual Reading Festival, showing the incredible impact upon families and communities that BiblioWorks has had over the past nine years.
The speech was well received, with many members of the audience desiring to play a part in the future work of BiblioWorks. We were able to discuss the exciting projects of the other delegates taking place in libraries, including the extensive work of IBBY (The International Board of Books for Young People) with poor communities in and around Cochabamba. Similarly, we had the pleasure of meeting renowned children’s author, Gabby Vallejo who works tirelessly on many projects with IBBY, as well as enjoying the opportunity to listen to various prominent professors of education who discussed their recent projects and research in the Cochabamba area and who offered some interesting insights into how we can continue to meet our goals.
Book heaven at the book fair!
Our final delight was a chance to explore the book fair that forms a key part of the Feria Internacional del Libro, where we were able to discuss BiblioWorks with some of the store owners and get a chance to browse the thousands of books. It was absolute book heaven!
Thank you to Gabby Vallejo for her work in organising the conference and allowing us to be part of such a powerful movement here in Bolivia. See you next year!
Jimbo
That’s a sharp way of thikning about it.