The team in our blue BiblioWorks shirts
I had been hearing about the Feria de la Lectura for months before I arrived in Bolivia. Before I even crossed the border, I had a blue BiblioWorks team shirt waiting for me in the office, and by the time the big day arrived, I was completely caught up in the excitement.READ MORE
It was 4:30am on my third day in Bolivia, and I was already awake and boarding a micro, a type of small bus common in Sucre. Almost twenty of us fit ourselves into the bus’s cramped seats, clambering over the boxes of books packed into the aisle. We were on our way to Maragua to open a library.READ MORE
Children marching for their rights
April has been full of activities, organized by BiblioWorks. Thanks to the funds we raised through our successful Indiegogo campaign we have been able to spread the joys of reading and literacy through a variety of activities. This is why April in Sucre is called “Abril: Mes de la Lectura y la Niñez.” Here are some of the highlights of the activities we are carrying out:READ MORE
Working on strategies for sustainability
The library in Sopachuy, opened in April of 2008, will be our third municipal library that will be left in the capable hands of the community. From the beginning of the project in Sopachuy, the local government and leaders in education have supported the library and the reading programs run from there.READ MORE
Hello! My name is Robyn and last week I completed six weeks of volunteering for BiblioWorks, and I must say, it was time very well spent! I arrived in Sucre at the beginning of the term and the libraries were not quite rolling, but I was still able to visit a few communities, meet some children in Morado K’asa, inventory books that will be part of a new collection, and see the enthusiasm that the BiblioWorks staff has for their work.
The first library I visited was in Yamparaéz, which wasn’t open for visitors yet, but this was a great opportunity to see what a typical library is like. Zannah (the Volunteer Coordinator) and I spent some time organizing the books and (me) getting oriented to the community.
We took a micro-bus or a “trufi” to Yamparaéz, which is about 14 miles outside of Sucre. The trufi dropped us off at the edge of the village and, feeling like we were on the set of an old Western, we walked into town.
Drastically different from Sucre, Yamparaéz was similar to what I thought a Bolivian village might be like. I expected to see more people, but apparently most workers go into Sucre or were likely on their farms.
Also, since this was the first day back after the students’ summer break, and classes are held only in the morning, there were no kids around when we went to see the library.
Entrance to the library.
We took a quick look at the school, which was down the road a short distance. Without the students, it was quiet, but it was still good to see the school grounds.
There are a few businesses in Yamparaéz, a town hall building with various offices including the mayor’s office, and an arena. The homes that we saw were made out of clay brick, dirt, adobe or concrete. There were a few buildings that looked uncharacteristically modern.
Walking through the area gave me better idea of the deep need Yamparaéz, and communities like it, have for a functioning and vibrant library. To have staff that understand the people who live there and their literacy needs, as well as support from outside sources such as BiblioWorks and their volunteers, are crucial to the longevity of such a library.
Volunteers play a very important role in this mission. It takes time and effort to get to Sucre, and especially to the small villages, some of which are six hours away by trufi. Volunteering takes a commitment that is so needed to maintain the momentum of the work being done here. But it is worth it. It’s a privilege to be welcomed into these isolated communities, to be part of an effort to promote books and reading, and to experience a part of Bolivia that most travelers will never see. I encourage anyone who has an interest in offering your skills and energy to this kind of work to contact BiblioWorks to see how you can be of service. It will be an experience you’ll never forget.
Zannah and Robyn.
The community of Maragua
We are excited to announce yet another new BiblioWorks library. The new project is in the community of Maragua, approximately 40 miles from the city of Sucre. The community is inside an ancient crater created by a meteor and is surrounded by the main mountain chain that runs through the middle of the region, la Cordillera de los Frailes. Education is extremely poor and the community leaders and teachers are very excited to be a part of this project. READ MORE
Image from the first ever literacy festival in Sucre, Bolivia
Last year, the first ever literacy festival in Sucre, Bolivia, was organized by BiblioWorks. It was a huge success. Fifteen organizations and over 500 students participated in the events. Now we need your help to make the 2nd Annual Literacy Festival an even bigger success.READ MORE
Help us create this in Tomoroco!
After all of our accomplishments in 2012, we are very excited about the new possibilities that await BiblioWorks in 2013. Our main goal, as always, is to put smiles on more children’s faces and give them books and libraries they can use to improve their education and their lives.
Angie outside of the Tomina library
Angie is a twelve-year-old girl who lives in the town of Tomina. She lives with her grandmother across the street from the library. Unfortunately her grandmother doesn’t know the value of education and the positive impact that the library can (and is) having on Angie’s life; she doesn’t allow Angie to visit the library after she returns home from her morning classes.READ MORE
Recently, BiblioWorks worked with another Bolivian nonprofit and a Polish organization, Condortrekkers and Early Stage, to create a fundraiser documentary about the lives of Bolivian children in one of our rural library towns, Morado K’asa (also spelled Q’asa). It only made sense that a song in their primary language of Quechua would be the soundtrack. So one weekend in November, we set out to bring eight children to the city to record the song. The kids from Morado K’asa were so excited to come to Sucre that they arrived to their library a full 2.5 hours before we got there to pick them up. READ MORE
A teacher works with some of the kids in the school in Morado K’asa
The past few months, BiblioWorks has been working with a local organization called Condor Trekkers and an organization based in Poland called Early Stage, to create a documentary video about the community of Morado K’asa.
The main focus of the video is to highlight the lives of children in a rural, indigenous community in Bolivia to share with children in Poland. The video and an accompanying song, performed by the kids in Morado K’asa, will then be sold to parents in Poland who participate in Early Stage’s projects.READ MORE
Every week, I find myself walking 2k to the nearest town, Cororo, to buy a bus ticket back to Sucre. Normally my walk takes me along the Tarabuco carretera, a 30 minute journey traipsing across a beautiful but incredibly dry landscape. However, the highway twists and turns, causing the trip to meander rather than lead directly to the neighboring town. Having walked the same road a couple of times, I was convinced that there must be a more direct route between the two. Today, I decided that I would try to find the illusive shortcut between my home in Morado K’asa and Cororo.READ MORE
Kids smiling in one of the classrooms in Bolivia that receives support from our teacher training programs.
BiblioWorks is pleased to announce the details of its 2012 Annual Benefit and Holiday Auction, benefiting its programs in Bolivia! We hope any who are in the Asheville area will be able to join us for an evening of celebration that will include live music, drinks and more! Our very own Matt Lynn will be in town from Bolivia for the event to talk about our ongoing work. We also hope that you’ll consider donating an item for our silent auction. If you have any questions about the event or would like to arrange to donate an item, please call us at 828-239-0271.READ MORE
Child doing a creative writing activity in the Pampa Aceituno library
This year BiblioWorks has teamed up with the Bolivian run and owned petroleum company YPFB transporte to open a new school library in the small community of Pampa Aceituno. The community is in the municipality of Sucre and is about a 15 minute ride up into the mountains surrounding Sucre.READ MORE
