Provide Quality Education to 15000 Amazon Children

In 2025, thousands of children and young people across the Amazon had greater opportunities to access books and stories through Vaga Lume's network of community libraries. Our 2025 Activity Report records results that reflect more than two decades of collective work, with a network of 102 active community libraries across nine states of the Brazilian Legal Amazon, more than 12,000 children and adolescents reached, over 56,000 books loans made, and five new libraries established in rural communities across the region.

Behind these numbers are stories of transformation. Adrian Oliveira de Souza, a resident of the Boa Vista community in Castanhal, Pará, grew up attending his community library and now serves as a volunteer in the same space: 

“The library is such a remarkable part of my life that I can say it transformed not only my life but the lives of many other people as well. I grew up there from a very young age, and I’ve been connected to it for more than 11 years. It’s an experience that is difficult to explain, but deeply meaningful.”

In 2026, we continue strengthening this network through the training of reading mediators, ongoing support for community libraries, and the expansion of opportunities for children and young people to become leaders in their communities. One of the next steps in this journey will take place in Barreirinhas, Maranhão, where a new training program will strengthen the leadership of local youth in promoting reading.

You can continue to be part of this story!

During July Bonus Day, we will have the opportunity to strengthen this initiative and expand its reach. Soon, we will share more details about this training and its impact on Amazonian communities.

Links:

• Explore Vaga Lume's full Activity Report 2025 available in PT BR
• Discover how Vaga Lume connects young readers in the Amazon.

On March 8, 2002, three women set out on a journey that would change access to books across the Brazilian Amazon. 

Three women set out on this expedition: Sylvia Guimarães, Maria Teresa “Fofa” Meinberg and Laís Fleury.

Carrying books and dreams, they traveled for 10 months through the 09 states of the Legal Amazon.  

That journey became known as the First Vaga Lume Expedition. In those months traveling across the Amazon, they helped create 21 community libraries and trained hundreds of local reading mediators: community members who would ensure that books became living tools for imagination, learning, and connection. 

When they returned to São Paulo, dozens of handwritten letters were waiting for them. They came from neighboring communities that had heard about the libraries. The message was always the same: they also dreamed of having a library. 

Those letters made one thing clear: the journey could not end there. 

Almost 25 years later, that journey is still growing. Today, Vaga Lume promotes access to books and reading in 102 communities across 23 municipalities in all nine states of the Brazilian Legal Amazon. Since 2001, more than 111,000 children and adolescents have gained access to books and the opportunity to imagine new futures. 

One of those children was Débora Fernandes, from Quilombo Bom-Viver. As a young girl, she spent hours in her community library and volunteered to read stories to younger children. Years later, that love of books helped lead her to law school. 

Reflecting on the importance of the library, Débora shared: 

“In the past, elders say they only had textbooks and books about fair-skinned princesses… they couldn’t see themselves in those books. Today we recognize ourselves in the books we receive.” 

This International Women’s Month, we celebrate the courage and vision of the women who began this journey, and the many women and community leaders who continue it every day across the Amazon. 

With your support, Vaga Lume can continue expanding access to books, creating new community libraries, and empowering children to imagine brighter futures. 

Your donation helps place books in the hands of children who might otherwise grow up without them — continuing the journey that began with three women and now reaches communities across the Amazon. 

Links:

• Check our website!
• Follow us on Instagram!