The Reading Festival, which takes place in Sucre, Bolivia, is the largest event organized by BiblioWorks. It gathers 2,000 students annually and more than 20 organizations participate as presenters. Have you ever asked yourself how this festival came to be so important in the region? Here is the story.READ MORE
April is Literacy Month!
Literacy has the power to open new doors to people and allows for economic, cultural and social growth. We hope to engage the population of Sucre through innovative reading activities that promote healthy debate about some of the toughest issues Bolivia currently faces.
We are starting a new year and we are excited to get to work. We have many things planned for 2016: our annual Reading Festival, a new library, achieving sustainability in two of our existing libraries, a new Reading Corner and a new local committee.
As we begin this year we want to welcome our new Bolivian National Committee members and we would like to introduce them to you: Mirtha Canseco, Marco Antonio Rios, and Tahi Abrego.READ MORE
Clarita likes to sit on the librarian’s lap and listen to stories while she follows the text and pictures with her eyes. After the story is over she plays with games, while recalling words that she saw in the book. Clarita has become a favorite among all of the volunteers that come to Pampa Aceituno to work with our organization. She learned to read at the age of four, something that would have never happened without the support of the Reading Corners program. READ MORE
After the speeches, music and poetry it was time to go into the library…
Thursday October 29th, a team of staff and volunteers from BiblioWorks traveled to the library in Villa Abecia where they were met by children, youth, teachers and other members of the community. Everyone was eager to see the new books (139 bought by BiblioWorks and 125 by the municipal government of Villa Abecia) and to take part in a celebration of reading and culture complete with speeches, music and poetry by the educational and municipal authorities as well as students and volunteers.READ MORE
The small Bolivian town of Padilla (which is actually one of the biggest towns in the Chuquisaca department) is soon going to have its first library.
BiblioWorks, in partnership with Across the Globe Children’s Foundation and in coordination with the school district and municipal government, is setting up a new library in Padilla. This library will serve more than 12,500 people and will support the work of three primary schools, two high schools and a college in the area.READ MORE
Two very important members of the BiblioWorks team are Roxana and Silvia. Their role involves working very closely with the libraries which means they spend some of their time in the office and some of their time traveling to visit the libraries for which they are responsible.READ MORE
Friday afternoons, Roxana and Silvia from BiblioWorks share stories with children in Sucre’s central square (Plaza 25 de mayo). Many of these children work in the plaza shining shoes and selling various small items.READ MORE
Which book would you share with a Bolivian child, if you had the chance?
We’ve been thinking about this question as we prepare for our Fourth Annual Festival of Reading here in Sucre this April. We’re busy organizing all of the books and resources that we’re going to use when we bring reading alive to the thousands of children and families on Saturday the 25th of April.
We’d love it if you could get involved with our campaign and share with our Facebook page and Twitter a picture of you reading the book you would love to share with a Bolivian child. We’ve put together a few of our favorites at the bottom of this email but would love to see YOURS.READ MORE
What was the first book that you ever read? Do you remember the glossiness of the page beneath your fingertips as you grasped expectantly, desperate to turn it and burrow further into the new world of adventure that was opening up beneath your eyes?
Unfortunately, for many children across the globe, this milestone of childhood is yet a distant dream. Low levels of literacy, poor schooling and the astronomical cost of buying books prevents many children from discovering the delights and possibilities of reading.READ MORE
This April, we will be bringing reading to Sucre via two exciting events: Sucre Reads and our now Annual Festival of Reading. With your help, we can make both days inspire a new generation of Bolivian children to find delight in a book, and discover the life chances that this simple act can bring them.READ MORE
BiblioWorks is proud to announce that we are supporting the beginning of a new project in Villa Abecia, aimed at helping local women to earn money through a sustainable source of income as well as ensuring that their children have access to a good education.READ MORE
Pierre tells his story
Children in our library in Yamparaez were treated to a special visitor on Wednesday 21st of March 2015, when volunteer and storyteller Pierre from France came in to read them a story with an important message about the environment.READ MORE
Wherever you are in the world this Christmas, we would love to wish you a very happy festive season! As 2014 draws to a close, we wanted to share with you, our supporters and volunteers, some of the most exciting news from our work here in Bolivia!READ MORE
We celebrate as we conclude the inauguration ceremony
Last Friday, the 5th December 2014, saw members of BiblioWorks staff in Villa Abecia to inaugurate our twelfth library. As International Day of the Volunteer, it seemed apt for us to be beginning the process of sending enthusiastic volunteers to this rural community in the south of Bolivia.READ MORE
