The Library Mission
the problem:
In July of 2009 I walked in a place sometimes called Hell on Earth: La Chureca. This place is the city dump of Nicaragua's capital city, Managua, where children and adults live among the garbage they daily search for salvageable and recyclable goods and food. This is a problem.
There are so many needs, which raises the question, "What good will a library do?" To find an answer, the situation must be examined from a sociological perspective. Until I distance myself from the situation and evaluate the social structure, including recurrent patterns, I cannot begin to understand their behavior or improve their quality of life. Many of the families in La Chureca have been there for generations. Similar to some underprivileged urban families, the familiarity of an environment-—coupled with lack of opportunity and resources-—makes it difficult for a young person to begin a successful life in healthier surroundings. If a young man manages to survive on his own outside the dump, he is likely now lacking a support system.
So why don't we just move everyone out of the dump all at once? Dismissing the fact that I am not yet equipped to undertake such an impressive international task at this time, let's consider some subtle reasons why this cannot be done. Shockingly, quite a few adults do not want to leave. I met a man who had done fairly well on his own outside the dump, but moved back close to the outskirts, spending much of his time inside. Why? He could not convince some of the relatives to leave. While he managed to escape the rampant unemployment, virtually everyone inside La Chureca is reliant solely on the objects they uncover and are able to recycle or sell. If they were removed from the dump, they would have no source of income. In conclusion, there are more pressing needs than simple relocation: education and employment.
Creating a library will allow children to apply what they are learning in school and pursue personal interests. By working with schools near La Chureca, and perhaps establishing some eventually, I hope that the children will have more opportunities available to them because they are literate and interested in the world.
vital stats:
people impacted:
0people involved:
25why it's important:
This mission is important to me because I fell in love with the people of Nicaragua. I am a firm believer in the value of reading as an educational and recreational endeavor. Providing these valuable people with books will give them an opportunity to put what they are learning in school into action. Furthermore, it is important to realize that literacy plays a huge role in vocational opportunities. The Library Mission will work alongside projects that deal with purely physical necessities to bolster educational efforts that will promote the betterment of the childrens' future.
the plan of action:
I have set up a blog to keep people up-to-date on progress. Right now the plan of action is collecting Spanish books through people who attend my church, and through a Kindergarten book fundraiser utilizing Club Leo. Monetary donations are being purposely avoided for the time being. I am working on ways to organize book drives on a larger scale.
For the time being, books will be sent to Nicaragua in the suitcases of people from my church who go to Nicaragua on mission trips. On January 14th, 2010 I sent down a first batch of ten books; the remaining 70+ books are still in the States. (I will be returning myself to Nicaragua in July.) Eventually, I would love to have multiple libraries in many schools in Managua, Nicaragua. And in addition to simply books, it would be great to have games, crafts, and other activities. Basically, the school would become a community center.
how you can get involved:
Spread the word! Tell people what's going on and send them to the blog: www.librarymission.wordpress.com
Look for books written in Spanish at resale shops, library book sales, and bookstores (if you can afford to buy them full price). Or you could personally raise money to buy Spanish books or classroom materials and send those books or materials to me so I can get them to Nicaragua. And if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns, email me at librarymission@gmail.com
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