Help us create a library full of magic and wonder for 120 rural students! The Los Algarrobos School was fortunate enough to build a new building this year that will become our new library and multi-purpose classroom. There is a lot of space to fill and at the moment we have just two book shelves of books and one with toys. Help us create a magical library where students can learn, create and imagine!
Canoa, Ecuador is an isolated coastal town whose residents mostly depend on a precarious tourist economy for livelihood. In general, there are few extracurricular activities for children and few accessible resources for imagination and curiosity. There is one public library, but it has few resources and is poorly managed. Reading is not an activity generally practiced in the home, so the public library gets little or no use. Even if children wished to borrow books, it is not allowed.
Since it's humble beginnings in 2014, students find excitement and love for books and reading in our little library. In 2017 we began to lend out books for the first time and have successfully lent out over 300 books to date! The library is also home to many games that encourage students to be creative and imaginative, skills that their curriculum doesn't always include. Overall, the library has created an environment conducive to critical and creative learning that cannot be found elsewhere.
The library is essential to providing a deeper and more complex learning experience for our students and their families. Over time, they will learn a love a reading as well as care and responsibility for books. The open and playful environment will help them develop skills in critical thinking, boost their imaginations, and prepare them for an ever changing world.
