We are very lucky to have one of Sarah's Rural Library Fund trustees, Mary Heery, running in the London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April in aid of the Rural Libraries.
Posted
CommentPost a comment
We have very sad news from Peru.
The Executive Director of The Bibliotecas Rurales, Alfredo Mires Ortiz, passed away in the early hours of Sunday 16th October.
Alfredo has spent his life sharing his passion for Andean culture and literacy with so many people in Peru and beyond and will be sadly missed by all of us at Sarah's Rural Libraries and everyone in the Rural Library community in Peru and across the world.
Listen to Alfredo and some of the other members of the Rural Libraries in this virtual presentation.
Read all about the Rural Libraries community winning the Casa de la Literatura prize in the following article in El Pais.
Congratulations on such a prestigious prize!
Exchange of books in the province of San Marcos (Cajamarca).
On Wednesday 31st March the Rural Libraries community in Cajamarca, Peru will be celebrating 50 years of bringing books and education to the indigenous communities of the Andes.
Join in the celebrations at 12am Peru time Weds 31st March on YouTube
This year we are raising money to provide 30 boxes of books to the most in need families in rural Andean Peru. COVID-19 has had a significant effect on families and education; school has been cancelled throughout Peru. Without internet access or even electricity many families are struggling.
We have teamed up with The Big Give where all donations have been match funded up to £1125
Donations open 12:00 PM, 1 December 2020 to 12:00 PM, 8 December 2020
What’s in the box? More details coming soon…..
A brilliant, beautiful and inspiring discussion about reading in the UK and Peru. Frank Cottrell-Boyce (screen writer and children's author) and Alfredo Mires (Executive Director of the Bibliotecas Rurales in Cajamarca, Peru) talk about the differences and similarities between young readers in their respective countries.
During this time of social distancing and isolation, the people of Cajamarca have had time to reflect on what is meaningful in life. With books from the Rural Libraries to keep them going, and through valuing the local traditions and hard work of farmers, the community is kept alive and thriving.
Thankfully the network of Rural Libraries held their General Assembly the weekend before the state of emergency was called, which allowed the librarians to exchange books and take them back to their communities before the lockdown. The lockdown is strict in Cajamarca, and no-one is allowed to leave their house between 8 pm and 5 am. Anyone who is found breaking the rules is detained by the police or the army.
Here are some photos of everyone together at the March assembly - a wonderful time to remember. Librarians, coordinators and families came together to review the activities of the libraries and reunite, ‘’knowing that we are deeply united and cared for as a family and community.’’
Due to the global Covid-19 outbreak, the communities of Cajamarca are quarantining to reduce the spread of the virus, yet facing the situation with optimism, patience and faith. Taking advantage of having more time to spend with each other, families are coming together to read the books from the Rural Libraries. Through sharing stories and improving their knowledge of the local traditions, the library books have provided much entertainment and fun for all the family.
It’s been an exiting time as books sent from Lima have now been distributed among our Network of the Rural Libraries. Encyclopaedias, dictionaries, literature, law and educational books will be of great benefit to the isolated communities of Cajamarca. By improving literacy through reading, knowledge of local traditions and culture can be recorded. Hundreds of books have now been published by the Rural Libraries, which keep these local indigenous skills alive. It is vital to retain awareness of these skills, as the mainstream education system excludes teaching the culture of indigenous people of Peru.
A huge thank you to Rosita Vásquez for sending such a valuable donation.
Marleny Olivera, co-ordinator of the libraries in the San Ignacio area of Cajamarca, wrote to us recently telling of the enthusiasm generated by the rural library in the community of Potrero Grande: “The attention given to the books has opened space to learn better!”
Each Rural Library meeting begins with the traditional Andean offering to Pachamama or Mother Earth.
The offering ceremonies, commonly known to the Andean people as, “payments to land or payments to Pachamama” are rituals of the ancestors. The offerings are part of a system of reciprocity between the material world and the spiritual world. The purpose of the ritual is to give back to Mother Earth what she has given you. The coca leaf is an integral part of the offerings to the earth.
Students from the Higher Pedagogical Institute "Víctor Andrés Belaúnde", of Jaén are carrying out their initial placement with children in First Grade of secondary school at the Immaculate Conception Educational Institution, using the Reading Circles, as a way to meet as a community in our Network of Rural Libraries of Cajamarca.
"Somos y hacemos" is the title of the manual or guide of the Network of Rural Libraries of Cajamarca, a document that summarizes the history, principles, methodology and formats of the work of our Network.
At the beginning of the 80s we published a small manual with the name of "Librarian am I", but the role has continued to mature and grow.
This recent guide has gone through several consultations in meetings and assemblies of the Network, and now it is printed again to submerge itself in the countryside.
Olga is one of the 10 new women librarians who have opened libraries in Huamachuco. She is a teacher so her library is based within her school.
Thanks to all the supporters of Sarah's Rural Library Fund, the new books from the 2017 Christmas campaign have arrived. The books from the series Leo y Escribo (I read and write), include the anti-war poem Masa, by Peru’s famous poet, Cesar Vallejo - When war kills people indiscriminately, will anyone remain on earth to say 'Stop killing!'?
And Los ojos de Gabi (Through the eyes of Gabi) by Alfredo Mires Ortiz, which breaks down barriers to disability by telling the true story of Gabi, a little girl with cerebral palsy who has a unique way of communicating through her smile. All of the drawings originate from Andean rock carvings, rock paintings, and ceramics, and all are from Cajamarca.
The books include additional pages for the readers of the Rural Libraries to write their own words inspired by the different themes. They hope to be able to publish more in this series of creative journals. Go to the Donate page if you would like to help fund this.
Alfredo Mires held a workshop on reading for teachers and students in the Christo Rey School in Masintranca, Chota province.
Maurizio, aged 4, is learning about the libraries. A librarian in the making!
News from the volunteer librarians walking with books across the Andes.