Lending Library
Background Information
Problem: According to the World Bank, Nicaragua is listed among the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Education efforts have improved over the years, yet at the present time, there are still approximately 500,000 children outside the educational system. The ability to read, write and understand printed material is a fundamental skill necessary for academic success, most employment and daily life in general. Access to quality reading material is nearly non-existent for many children.
Solution: The Lending Library project meets the acute need for accessible quality literacy materials in rural and urban communities. The primary goal is to increase the literacy rate among children and adults in selected communities of Nicaragua. It also encourages leisure reading, literacy importance awareness, and broad parental involvement in various reading environments (home, school and library.)
Credential: W/NP has a 45 year history of bringing together volunteers and citizens of both countries to create relationships and to work to find solutions to common problems, leveraging international and local resources ultimately improving quality of life for all involved. Current and past studies unanimously demonstrate the importance of introducing and exposing children to reading materials at an early age.
Methods: Upon acquisition, educational resourses and reading materials are distributed at selected W/NP Learning Centers in Nicaragua where over 10 lending libraries are set up and more than 6,000 people have received training in the past 4 years. These libraries increase learning opportunities for parents and children.
Sustainability: The limited educational system in Nicaragua has resulted in a population that embraces every learning opportunity. The few resources available are utilized with utmost efficiency and manner.
We have plans and requests for several new libraries this year and for help to support those already started. We welcome and need your support to continue this project that promotes reading and literacy development.
Why?
Why work on literacy projects in Nicaragua? When reviewing information from the United States Aid for International Development (USAID) recently, my commitment for working on projects that will provide literacy opportunities for the people of Nicaragua was reaffirmed. On average, Nicaraguans complete fewer than five years of schooling, and nearly 500,000 children, aged three to 12, remain outside the formal education system. Ask anyone who has been to the country recently, its not hard to believe these statistics as young children are everywhere selling items at the stop lights, fixing roads and tending to animals. Children in Nicaragua, even those privileged to education, lead a very different and difficult life than what we see in the US.
The dramatic growth and success of Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners Learning Centers (over 80 throughout the country) clearly illustrates the need and desire among Nicaraguans for further education and skill development. The Learning Centers... what better place to introduce and house a lending library! We did just that and here is a pictorial story to lead you through how this came about and is continuing to grow with your help.
History
2010
- La Estrellita Library opens in Las Lagunas.
- Sherin Bowen Library II opens at the Managua Office.
2009
- Sherin Bowen Library opens at the Buenos Aires Learning Center.
- Manantial de Aprendizaje opens in Boaco.
- Biblioteca Los Martinez opens in Los Matinez, Managua.
- German Gmeiner Libray opens in Managua.
2008
- Gotitas del Saber Library opens on Ometepe Island.
- Verona opens at the Los Cedros Learning Center.
- Amistad Wisconsin opens at Empalme de Boaco Learning Center.
2007
- El Exito de la Sabiduria Library opens in Juigalpa.
2006
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W/NP's 1st Lending Library opens in Tipitapa at Rosa's Learning Center with 150 books!
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La Hormiguita Library opens at the Chinandega Learning Center.
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W/NP Lending Library opens in Puerto Cabezas.
2004
- W/NP visits the San Juan Del Sur Biblioteca, the first lending library in Nicaragua to see what the possibilities are..founder Jane Mirandette gives a fabulous reception and demonstration of how the library works and offers to share her lending library prototype with W/NP
2003
- W/NP and Peace Corps joint grant application to the Sabre Foundation is approved and we are awarded 12,000 new Spanish books to be divided equally with Peace Corps. Schools and Learning Centers graciously receive the books, set up small libraries and we begin to introduce the lending idea.
2002
- Our counterparts in Nicaragua ask for help to meet the challenges of the growing illiteracy level in their country's children.
Importance
Research unanimously demonstrates the importance of introducing and exposing children to reading materials at an early age. We already have the Learning Centers, which is a place in the community associated with skill development. Why not begin lending libraries within the center that will provide access to reading materials for all ages, children through adult?
At the launch ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York, Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frchette said, "Literacy remains part of the unfinished business of the 20th century. One of the success stories of the 21st century must be the extension of literacy to include all humankind There is no time to lose if the world is to meet the Millennium Development Goal of increasing literacy rates by one half by 2015.
Rosa's Report
Presently we have 420 kids who come every Saturday to read and afterwards they take 2 books home which they turn in the following Saturday. They're very punctual. There are Saturdays when we're left without any books; we can't keep up. As far as the little kids are concerned, we need many, many more children's picture books. They have read and reread our books, and they're asking for the following in Spanish: Dora the Explorer, Disney stories, Barney, and Sesame Street.
Learning Center in Buenos Aires:
Mayra’s Community is called Buenos Aires (not to be confused with the one in Argentina). It is a rural area with a rural school, a pre school house, and a small general store—no real village or congestion of houses but very spread out with each house hold having their own garden, milking cows, fields….. There are approximately 1000 persons (men women and children) that use the school, and consider this their community. Mayra’s Women’s Learning Center serves 25 women and each year about 10 girls graduate from the sewing classes.
Mayra Mendoza is dedicating a new lending library in honor of Sherin Bowen, who inspired her to have the learning center that she proudly has today.
Below are links to videos created in 2010 at the W/NP Learning Center in Buenos Aires, Nicaragua.
What Can You Do?
Please contact the W/NP office if you would like to participate in the library project.
- Collect Spanish reading materials
- Donate funds to purchase books
- Come along and visit the libraries in Nicaragua as we celebrate the gift of reading!
- Spanish Class Project - make books in Spanish for the Libraries
Managua Office, Lending Library program after building renovations.
Notes from Mirna: Due to some issues we were having with the transit of the kids attending the library and going through the warehouse, a couple of people here did brainstorming and we decided to move the library to the reception area of our office. We did some adjustment internally and it worked out pretty good. I am happy for the results and it could not have been better.
The procedure for the library to avoid a mess is we only allow 5 kids at the time and the rest wait in line with a number assigned to come in and check the books out. We put some benches outside so they could even sit while they wait. Well, I hope you enjoy seeing these pictures, the Sherin Bowen library has 138 kids so far and more coming every day.
It’s bittersweet to see the kids standing in line to exchange their books
