By Rut Roman | Project Leader
"Don’t take him, he is impossible" warned the School Principal the first day we stopped by her office to fetch a group of four kids who were having trouble reading. “Sandro is unruly and cannot follow directions, he will keep the others behind”. “That is exactly why he needs to visit the Children’s Library with us”, we insisted. As soon as Sandro (age 11) entered our pick up, windows went running up and down, he tried to open and shut the door, and paid no attention to our request of not doing this. Benito(age 6) was silent and his deep dark eyes were catching everything; while Anita, who already knew us and the Library, was vividly showing off all her worldliness.Nevertheless, the most notorious of the group was tiny Cristina (age 9) way too small for her age and painfully shy. She avoided eye contact and squirmed back at our efforts to approach her.
The first time this group of four children entered the clean, spacious and tranquil space of the Children’s Library, they were in awe. We had arranged the tables with colorful books and small chairs just for them. Everything was clean, incense was burning and low, quiet music was playing in the background. In the Library, we make a point of never raising our voices or pointing out mistakes. After almost two years of working with this community we have understood that children are under a lot of stress, and that this is the main factor that obstructs their learning process. School is driven by grades and success, learning is not viewed as fun, not even games, since all their activities as ruled by competition and value. In a community struck by a devastating earthquake and a housing crisis that has kept their families living in tents and precarious shelters for almost two years, one can only imagine how stressed their parents and relatives are. Much adult frustration is stormed towards children. Many of them are dealing with verbal, physical and sexual abuse as a painful part of their family and social dynamics.
Childhood stress is the main barrier for learning and growing. Making the Children’s Library a safe haven for kids is what makes our days meaningful. With your help we have been able to secure a basic salary for an assistant librarian, pay bills, and maintain the flow of beautiful and interesting books. Our assistant librarian is a local mother, kind and patient,who helps us create a caring atmosphere. Tiny Cristina is a very special library patron. She avoids any participation. It seems like she would like to be invisible. So we try to tip toe around her as much as we can. She is silently absorbing all the letter sounds her peers have mastered into words and phrases. She peeks from afar at the puzzles, songs and games they all participate in. She silently smiles at the loud laughter Sandro and Benito and Ana enjoy when finalizing a game.
Last week, Cristina softly said “chao” as she was leaving the library for the weekend. I faintly said chao back. Making this little one say a word is one of the biggest triumphs we celebrate. This is one of many groups of children we are working with in the reading remedial program along with Professor Soledad Mena from the Simón Bolívar University in Quito. We believe that by the end of the next school period, reading levels in the local school will permit every child to explore and be autonomous in their learning process. The teacher training program will send the local teachers to Quito for a week to observe how the program operates. This will surely motivate them and encourage their awakening capacity for tenderness and patience towards their young students.
José Alejandro (age 8) asked us, the first time we read out loud to him, “how do you do that?” When we told him that his school teacher will teach him how to read… he indignantly demanded, “but my teacher doesn’t teach me anything!” José Alejandro is now a fluent reader and enjoys reading out loud to the smallest of our patrons.
A child who enjoys reading is self-sufficient and builds self-esteem and a sense of value. Anyone who has ever held an embarrassing secret knows how liberating it is to finally get rid of it and overcome its limits. Illiteracy, or functional illiteracy, is rampant in Don Juan. Children get through their school years as discreetly as they can, not drawing any attention, or obnoxiously drawing as much attention to their unruly behavior, so no one notices their shameful secret.
With your help the Children’s Library in Don Juan is making the kind of commitment it takes to help these children overcome their learning difficulties and raise their self-esteem with all the unlimited consequences this kernel of bounty can open. Thanks to the support of special individuals like yourselves and donors who provided the funds to build the Library and help purchase didactic materials devoured by these avid little patrons, the Children’s Library in Don Juan is a place for contentment and hope.
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