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Working with children in poor rural schools VDO found that they had poor vocabulary and imagination. This is possibly caused by the limited conditions of the education system and because children read almost nothing apart from school books. At home parents do not have books so they do not read to their children.
In 2005 in order to try to improve the situation, VDO created the CHILDRENS' LIBRARY.
The Library volunteers take the children’s storybooks to the schools and let children take it to their home for reading. The Library also organize reading sessions at the office for families. Reading contests and other activities are developed by volunteers.
This project is specially loved by children because they understand that is only for them. On the other hand, friends and supporters has become very good partners as they were also good readers when young and they want to give children the same opportunity they had.
Next you can read the official report about the secoond semester 2009:
2.1 REPORT OF ACTIVITIES
2.1.1. Members There are 17 groups with 288 members, as follows:
i) Sangolqui School, 7 groups, 105 members
ii) Techo Propio, School “The great wall”, 4 groups, 71 members
iii) Techo Propio, School “Tiugua”, 1 group, 20 members
iv) Tena, Amazon region, School “Misahualli”, 3 groups 46 members
v) Techo Propio, family members and children in other schools in Ambato, 1 group, 25 members
vi) Family members & secondary school children El Porvenir-Acapulco, 1 group, 21 members
Some members who have not participated have been taken off the list, hence the total number of 288 is 5% lower than past semester but the level of participation has been much better.
2.1.2 Books During the second semester 2009 we have:
i) bought 100 new books in Spanish
ii) 40 new books of the children’s own stories were edited at the office
iii) 120 used books were received as donation
iv) A dozen new classic children’s stories in English were bought by AFET and delivered directly.
There are now 762 + 260 = 1022 books in the Library, 14 books were repaired at the office and there are more than one hundred magazines.
2.1.3 Activities
i) Activities in the school of Sangolqui were as usual, four visits with book exchange. There was a contest with the smallest children in November. A space for the storage of books was given by school directors.
ii) Misahualli is a small port on the Napo River, a tributary of the Amazon. We were invited to bring books to a very isolated indigenous school and the only way to go is by boat. This is an excellent opportunity for development and one which might be popular with volunteers. A visit to the Misahualli school was made in December with books exchange. In the new year a further visit will be made to open a library space and to give an initial stock of books. There is a very good group of native dancing here and they want to participate in the next Festival in September.
iii) In the two schools in Techo Propio we are starting to exchange books with the students aged over 10.
iv) A very important new activity promoted by the Library is movies for the children of both schools and all other children of the community. Some parents participatel. The movie show takes place twice a month. We bought a new projector that can be connected to a computer or a dvd player.
v) Office activities include the repair of books and editing and printing of booklets. Diana, the home grown author, continues writing. Some of the titles are ‘The seed which didn’t want to grow’, and ‘The tree which gave advice’. We hope other children will be encouraged to write their own stories too.
vi) The family groups enjoyed visits to the office and reading the magazines.
2.1.4. Coordinators
Maria Teresa and Gonzalo were in charge of book exchange. Two young local volunteers from the community helped in the Techo Propio Library. The interest of the mothers of the family groups seems to have decreased. We will continue to encourage and motivate them to read to their children at home.
2.1.5. Equipment
Two new tables for the magazines were added to the Library furniture and the new projector is a successful purchase.
2.1.6. Headquarters
In Techo Propio the new headquarters of the Library is well established and was officially opened by Adrienne Finch on her visit in September. The cooperative has put new floor slabs in the Library and the Computer Centre.
2.1.7. Objectives and ideas for first semester 2010
i) A small reading contest in both schools in Techo Propio in March.
ii) To establish the smaller Libraries in Sangolqui and Misahualli by the end of April.
iii) To continue with the movies for children, including health promotion films about hygiene, diet, drug and alcohol abuse and other such problems. The children’s films will still be the most popular.
iv) To resume cataloguing with the help of the local volunteers in Techo Propio.
v) To continue increasing the number of books and members.
vi) To try to bring books to isolated schools on the Amazon River.
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Library in Sangolqui school |
Girl reading in Sangolqui school |
meeting for organizing the Library in Sangolqui school |
Girl reading to a group of children in Library in Techo Propio |
Sponsors visit to Library in Techo Propio |
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