Biblioworks in Tarabuco

On Sunday, we headed out of Sucre on a 7:30 am bus with some of the folks from Biblioworks to promote literacy and the Tarabuco library.  By 9:00, we had our tables set up in the street and a steady stream of interested customers.

I estimate that we spoke with over 100 children and adults regarding the library, its resources, and the importance of reading. Most of the people we spoke with were residents of Tarabuco who were headed to the plaza to sell their hand-made textiles at the Sunday market, although we also spoke with a number of people from surrounding areas.

Our most popular attraction was by far the stack of books we were giving out for free, courtesy of Biblioworks. Although these books are by no means expensive--they´re actually simple pamphlets made of thin 0.07 mm paper--they are still luxury items for most of the residents of Tarabuco and the surrounding countryside.

We handed out books designed for people of all ages and skill levels on a variety of topics--math, science, writing, hygiene, childbirth and childcare, solar cooking, the history of the potato, healthy relationships, and of course some pleasure reading.

Among the recipients of the books was one woman selling her wares who had thirteen children at home, a man who had walked five hours that morning to get to the market to sell his mantas, and many many children, some of whom were clearly child laborers, working on Sunday to sell goods and shine shoes.

Giving out books to people who clearly need food, water, soap, and medicine can seem counterintuitive at first. It seems that basic needs must be met before we can start worrying about knowing multiplication tables or being able to read about the animals that live in the rainforest. I like to believe, however, that all of these things are inter-related--that improved access to educational resources will result in an improved ability to seek out and obtain the other resources that we all need to live. In a world run largely by documents--laws, job applications, instruction manuals, etc.--illiteracy can be very disempowering. Indeed, it´s difficult to know one´s rights if they are only available in the written word. I believe, however, that Biblioworks and a number of other high-quality organizations are improving this situation.

Below you´ll find a few more pictures from our visit to Tarabuco.

Dona Marina, the local librarian, sits with two girls from Tarabuco outside the library.

We used a parachute game to practice math with the local children.

Ryan smiles for the camera after talking with two boys about the library´s resources.

A view of the textiles available for sale in the central plaza.

Ponchos for sale.



Biblioworks: ¡Vamos a Tarabuco!

Tarabuco is a small town just about 65 km from Sucre.  It takes about 1-2 hours by bus to travel to Tarabuco from Sucre, depending on traffic, the bus, and of course, the bus driver. On Sundays, this otherwise sleepy town transforms into a vibrant textile market--a popular weekend destination not only for tourists but for anyone else in need of clothing, blankets, wall hangings, or perhaps a salteña.

Despite the success of the Sunday textile market, much of the population of Tarabuco lives in extreme poverty and educational resources remain limited. Biblioworks, however, has a good working relationship with members of the Tarabuco community as well as local authorities, and the staff here will continue to support their efforts toward improved educational resources.

We´ll be at the market this Sunday working to promote reading and the Tarabuco library.

Biblioworks, Language, and Literacy

Roxana reads with a group of girls from Tomina.

Among Biblioworks` primary objectives is the improvement of literacy in rural Chuquisaca, a region where education is largely under-funded and where many (often most) live in extreme poverty. In Tarabuco, a town known primarily for its Sunday textile market, about 60% of the population lives in what is officially called extreme poverty. Among men the literacy rate is 59.56%, and among women it is only 35.75%.

The causes of these low literacy rates are complex, but they are undoubtedly tied to limited funding, the reliance on child labor caused by extreme poverty, and insufficient culturally appropriate resources. Indeed, although over 90% of the population of Tarabuco speaks Quechua as a first language, texts and classrooms rely primarily on Spanish.

Week One with Biblioworks

Biblioworks staff and librarians work on a motivation exercise

After a brief flight from La Paz to Sucre via Cochabamba, Ryan and I began our work with Biblioworks, a nonprofit organization devoted to the maintenance and creation of libraries in rural Bolivia.

Last Sunday, we met up with our new coworkers for a trip to Villa Serrano and Tomina, two of the seven locations where Biblioworks supports libraries.  Ryan and I were both struck by the enthusiasm and optimism that the Biblioworks staff members bring to their work, and we enjoyed meeting six of their seven librarians.

We spent the first two nights of our trip in a hospital in Serrano that offered the rest we needed for a busy workshop.  Our days were packed with useful information, exercises, and activities. Among the highlights was a trip to see both the mayor and the education director to try and strengthen ties between the Serrano library and the local government.

Our visit to the Director of Education in Serrano