Primary Education for 11,000+ Nicaraguan Youth

One of Fabretto’s strategies for bringing books to rural communities is mobile libraries, carried on donkey’s backs. This spring, the donkey-powered libraries (“biblioburros” in Spanish) have reached the South Caribbean Coast (RACCS), Fabretto’s newest region of influence. Read more about the first mobile libraries in the Northern mountains of Nicaragua.

In Nicaragua, books are a luxury. At school, children only have access to books with the standard curriculum; in many rural schools, two or three children must share one textbook. Families can’t afford to purchase books for their children, and there are just a handful of public lending libraries in the entire country. This means that many children have no access to books, particularly in rural communities.

The schools that Fabretto supports in the RACCS region are some of the most isolated in the country. These villages are located hours away from the nearest towns and are inaccessible by vehicle. However, there is one form of transportation that can reach the schools – donkeys.

With donated books and trusty donkeys to carry them, Fabretto is providing a path for educational resources to reach even the most remote communities.

Last month, Fabretto introduced the donkey-powered libraries to the RACCS region through a series of educational fairs. 200 students, parents, and teachers from ten different schools participated in the events, during which the biblioburro traveled to the schools and gave children access to the mobile library.

The students were given the opportunity to browse through the books, read the stories out loud with their friends, and participate in activities organized by Fabretto’s team. It was a joyful, exciting time for the children, most of whom had never seen a library before. Through initiatives like the biblioburro, Fabretto strives to not only improve students’ reading skills, but also awaken their interest in reading and learning.

Links:

• Explore the full 2014 Annual Report