Library
New Regional Library for Quebracho
Thanks to everyone’s amazing help – the new library is up and running and looks great!
Books continue to come in slowly and the volunteers are happily organizing them.The community have bought plastic chairs and tables and the teachers have added some potted plants. Outreach programs will begin in the summer of 2010.
This has been an amazing success! We do still need many more books, though.
Please read below the full history of the project:
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Honduras has many challenges to literacy. There is only one library in the town of Copan serving more than 80 surrounding villages in the municipality. For people living in remote villages, there is nothing. A bus to Copan is too costly for folks who earn less than $3 a day. Rural schools have on average 10-20 storybooks. Many have none at all.
Recently, generous donations from so many people have gone a long way to develop a regional library for rural communities at Quebracho. In the near future, programs for reading, adult literacy, story time and outreach will also be created.
Construction of the new library has recently begun, with local children enthusiastically helping out!
There are 7 communities with about 5,000 people living in an area where there is no library and very little access to books, even in the classrooms. The average classroom has between 10 and 20 books.
There is a structure which is very sound and very convenient to these communities but it needs basic repairs such as a new roof and materials like maps, books, an encyclopedia and hopefully a computer.
The library will be staffed by local teachers who will volunteer their time and services and the local villagers have offered to do the repairs for free.
The total cost of the project is around 20,000 Lempira or $1,000. Our goal is to finish in February or March.
We would love to make some connections with libraries and librarians in North America and Europe for this project. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please get in touch.
The Library Site Before Reconstruction Began:
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