Book Distribution
Imagine a Library or School Without Books
The Problem:
Books in rural libraries let alone classrooms are a scarce commodity. Learning in most classrooms is done simply by having children copy from a blackboard and memorize their notes. Small rural libraries often consist of no more than a few hundred books many of which are basically unusable. For a child to have a textbook or reference book to do homework or be able to take a book home to read is largely unheard of. The ability for a child to receive an education under these circumstances is limited at best.
As one of the our School Director partners recently noted.
Such a system creates good followers. People who cannot think independently but who can take orders well. With your help we are trying to change this. We are trying to teach our students to read and think critically and creatively, to feel and believe that they have the possibility for a different and better future for themselves, their community and their country.
Working for a solution:
Year after year Child Aid ships large volumes of donated Spanish literature, textbooks, children’s books and reference books to Guatemala. Quality Books in Guatemala are extremely expensive and in short supply. In addition to these donated books, Child Aid purchases large numbers of books in the US and Guatemala to fulfill specific needs that are not met by the donated materials. We then work with librarians, teachers and volunteers to get these books freely in the hands of children so they can have a real chance at an education.
Child Aid does this by:
- Delivering tens of thousands of books to rural libraries and schools.
- Working with libraries to catalogue their libraries.
- Setting up database programs to manage library inventory.
- Helping librarians create lending programs.
- Giving books to teachers who attend literacy training sessions for use in their classrooms.
