For an Update on the Guatemala Book Bus CLICK HERE
Thank you to all the clubs who continue to support the Rotary 5050 District Centennial Literacy Project in Guatemala.
Fifteen years on, because of our support, the book bus still puts books into the hands of Mayan children in the Chimaltenango mountainous region of Guatemala. These children have only a limited access to books. Many of the schools in the region do not have libraries and depend on the book bus to bring then this basic resource.
A big yellow 1994 school bus was converted to a book bus in 2005/6 with a matching grant of $40,000. Over the years Rotary District 5050 clubs have supported it to sustain the service by paying the librarian and driver salaries, maintaining the vehicle and replacing and mending books and equipment.
The bus is managed through Probigua; a Guatemalan organization that partly funds libraries and schools through their language school. See their website www.probigua.com .
During most of 2020 the bus has not been able to operate due to Covid. In 2019 it reached approximately 8,000 students a month in mountainous schools and villages. In fact the presence of the book mobile has been the impetus for some of the villages to build libraries.
Fifteen years on, because of our support, the book bus still puts books into the hands of Mayan children in the Chimaltenango mountainous region of Guatemala. These children have only a limited access to books. Many of the schools in the region do not have libraries and depend on the book bus to bring then this basic resource.
A big yellow 1994 school bus was converted to a book bus in 2005/6 with a matching grant of $40,000. Over the years Rotary District 5050 clubs have supported it to sustain the service by paying the librarian and driver salaries, maintaining the vehicle and replacing and mending books and equipment.
The bus is managed through Probigua; a Guatemalan organization that partly funds libraries and schools through their language school. See their website www.probigua.com .
During most of 2020 the bus has not been able to operate due to Covid. In 2019 it reached approximately 8,000 students a month in mountainous schools and villages. In fact the presence of the book mobile has been the impetus for some of the villages to build libraries.
After so many years, and at the very least, the old bus needs new tires while the demand for new reading material especially research books is constant. If covid restrictions continue for much longer Probigua plans to make it an Internet hub as well.
If any club would like more information to support this very worthy international literacy project in 2021 please contact Rhian Piprell 604 404 1645 piprellr@gmail.com to book zoom information sessions with individual clubs
