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LIBROS PARA PUEBLOS

(BOOKS FOR SMALL TOWNS)

an extremely worthy cause!

Something to smile about

Many people who spend time in Oaxaca or come to live here are strongly motivated to to help. Because Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico, there's a great deal of need--orphans, street children, impoverished seniors, people needing medical care, victims of domestic violence, and many, many others. However, for a variety of reasons, it's not always easy to find charitable groups or organizations that one can contribute to with confidence, knowing that your donation will really go to the people who need help.

We've found one group, however, that meets what we consider to be a very important need, and which guarantees that 100% of the money it receives is used to provide the service it offers, which is to create and maintain libraries for children in schools or small towns that have never had libraries before. The organization, Libros Para Pueblos, was created and continues to be run by a group of dedicated and talented volunteers. They contribute their time and expertise without any compensation whatever, except for the satisfaction of bringing books into the lives of thousands of children. Unlike many other charities, the people of Libros Para Pueblos don't give themselves any perks at all--no salaries, no free lunches, no mileage or vehicle-use allowances, no office overhead, etc. The result is that every dollar that Libros Para Pueblos receives actually buys books that children read and love.

A class gets its reading hour in one of the 16 Libraries Libros Para Pueblos has created

In the past several years, Libros Para Pueblos has created and stocked sixteen libraries, mostly in outlying communities in the State of Oaxaca, but several in other impoverished Mexican states as well. Many of these sparkling new libraries are in distant, often extremely isolated towns, where books of any kind are a rarity. Libros Para Pueblos has several more libraries "in the pipeline," and are constantly looking for communities with whom they can work to create future libraries.

View from the schoolyard where these photos were taken!

Creating a library takes a lot of work. The volunteers have to identify schools or communities in need of a library, work with the schools, parents, and community leaders to make sure that the library becomes a community enterprise, identify and buy the best children's books, stock and open the libraries, and then keep them stocked over the years.

Surrounded by books

The Libros Para Pueblos volunteers have designed an approach that works well. The school or community takes responsibility for providing space for the library and for staffing it on an ongoing basis. Libros selects and provides the books, and continues to work with each library to make sure that it remains well stocked and well run. The books they provide are ones they know children will enjoy reading. They believe that if they can support and develop a love of reading in children who might otherwise never had gotten to read a book "just for fun," it will serve them well throughout their lives.

Book buddies

Amazingly, it costs just $1500 to create and stock a library chock-full of books that children can't wait to read!

As the result of a formal association with Oaxaca's bilingual library, contributions to Libros Para Pueblos are tax-exempt in the U.S. As explained on the Libros Para Pueblos webpage, checks can be made out to the Oaxaca Lending Library Foundation, Inc., (with a note indicating that the donation is for Libros Para Pueblos). Their address is: Libros Para Pueblos, APDO 1351, Centro, 68000, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their U.S. tax-exempt (ENN) number is: 20052066.

If you want to learn more about Libros Para Pueblos, or are interested in making a contribution to them, you can visit their website at: librosparapueblos.com. Or you can contact them by email at: admin@librosparapueblos.com.

Libros Para Pueblos is a remarkable organization providing a much-needed and much-appreciated service. We give them as much as we can, and hope you will too.

Robert Adler and Jo Ann Wexler

authors of Viva Oaxaca

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