We believe that locally-owned and -led libraries have the potential to fundamentally transform learning environments and create safe, inclusive spaces for community engagement and meaningful learning.
educate.’s libraries are self-sustaining, because they are located within existing educational institutions, and they are set-up, led and managed by a local community committee.
Community-driven development
All of our libraries are led by a local community project committee made up of teachers, parents and students. Committees lead the community in raising a portion of funds for the project, create their own project plan, and are responsible for ongoing project maintenance.
This model of community-driven development means that the school and community take real ownership over leading the project, leading to maximum impact and sustainability. It also means that dependence is reduced as far as possible, instead supporting communities in creating projects themselves that outlast educate.‘s involvement.
Beyond the curriculum: holistic, creative and critical education
The libraries we support are filled with books that inspire creativity, as well as books that foster critical thinking and global citizenship through promoting environmental awareness, challenging gender norms, and teaching children about the world beyond their own towns and villages. We also place a strong emphasis on providing culturally-relevant books, so children can see themselves in the books they read (read our blog post on this topic here).
Inspired by Montessori pedagogy, we encourage the use of forward-facing bookshelves (made by local carpenters!), colour-coded reading level systems, and flexible seating arrangements that allow children to use their libraries independently.
A growing library network
Our first library opened in 2018 at a public primary school in El Progreso. Today, our library network is made up of 10 libraries across the country, reaching over 3,000 learners every year. We use digital tools to connect teachers and community leaders across the network to one another to promote knowledge and resource sharing.
You can read more about some of educate.’s library projects below.
Las Delicias Library
Las Delicias primary school has 60 students taught by two teachers, as well as a volunteer-run Kindergarten class. The school is located on the outskirts of Trinidad, Santa Barbara.
La Alegria Library
La Alegria is a remote mountain village in the municipality of Trinidad. With just one classroom, grades 1-6 are taught by a single teacher.
Las Lagunas Library
The Las Lagunas primary school is located in a rural village in Arada, Santa Barbara. Here, 33 students from kindergarten through 6th grade are taught by a single teacher.
La Florida Library
The La Florida primary school is a single-teacher school in a remote mountain village three hours by horseback into the Sierra de Agalta mountains of Olancho.
El Tigre Library
Located in a rural shoemaking community in the municipality of Trinidad, the El Tigre primary school has 60 students and two teachers, one for grades 1-3 and another for grades 4-6, taught in two separate classrooms.
Adrian Mejia Library
Adrian Mejia is a 600-student primary and secondary school on the outskirts of El Progreso, Honduras.
Guadalupe Ulloa Library
Escuela Guadalupe Ulloa school is a primary school with 300 students, located in the center of the rural town of Trinidad, Honduras.
Trinidad Kindergarten Library
Trinidad’s public Kindergarten has 100 students aged 4-6.
educate. 