Libraries are incredibly valuable resources for students living in rural and otherwise marginalised areas. We have seen in our previous projects how these libraries have united communities, improved reading, and led to deeper engagement in students. The process of co-creation and community leadership means each of these spaces is unique, and we are excited to see how the El Tigre library will turn out.
The School
Located in a rural shoemaking community in the municipality of Trinidad, children in El Tigre lack educational resources but are lucky to have two incredible teachers. We have chosen this school for the passion of its educators and the enthusiasm of the student and parent community to lead this project to fruition.
Our relationship with this school is a special one. Lisa, one of educate.‘s founders, taught English classes here for a year back in 2014, and by sheer coincidence, the school’s director Profe Evelio is educate. project coordinator Walter’s former primary school teacher!
Preparations in the Community
Right now, the community is working to repair an old storage room which will soon be transformed into a library. They are also working hard as a community to raise a small portion of the funds.
Books
All of the books we fill our libraries with are high-quality Spanish-language and age-appropriate children’s books, and include plenty of Latin American stories so that children see themselves represented in the books they read. This time, we also had support from the San Pedro Sula International School, where students conducted a book drive to Spanish-language childrens’ books for this library!
