Inspired by the continuing advocacy of #booksforthebarrios by my Pinoy friend in California, Monchit Arellano, I would occasionally bring some old books to a rice farming village in Brgy. Laguit Padilla, Bugallon, Pangasinan.
Here, my friend from UP, Jun Realica, delivered and donated many books from his house, for the barrio kids. We had few rounds of beer after stocking the books in our house.
A public school teacher friend in Lingayen asked if she could get some books for her elementary students inside the classroom (not at the school library), I said yes. Jun is donating the books for free. But not all of these books to that school.
I plan to have a small community library someday at our farm caretaker's house in that barrio, kids and adults can borrow and read the books for free, provided they don't tear the pages or lose the book.
My 6 1/2 years old daughter checked the books donated by Jun, she liked some of them so she set them aside as "hers" temporarily, to be given away someday after she's done looking and reading at them. These four books at the top are among her chosen ones.
Initiatives like this, people donating books they do not need anymore, and there will be young and old minds in rural areas who will be more than willing to see and read them. Civil society in action, zero need for extra government offices and taxes to make these things work.
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See also:
CSOs and State 6: Stichting Kapatiran and Books for the Barrios, December 07, 2008
CSOs and State 7: Public School Library with Minimal Government, BftB, June 29, 2009
Here, my friend from UP, Jun Realica, delivered and donated many books from his house, for the barrio kids. We had few rounds of beer after stocking the books in our house.
I plan to have a small community library someday at our farm caretaker's house in that barrio, kids and adults can borrow and read the books for free, provided they don't tear the pages or lose the book.
My 6 1/2 years old daughter checked the books donated by Jun, she liked some of them so she set them aside as "hers" temporarily, to be given away someday after she's done looking and reading at them. These four books at the top are among her chosen ones.
Early this month, one of our neighbors donated his old
encylopedia collection because he wanted the space occupied by the books, I said I can give them to the barrio kids in Pangasinan. So first weekend of March I brought the 20+ volumes, the barrio kids were happy. Here, just some of the kids in the immediate neighborhood.
I turned over the books to the wife of our farm
caretaker. She said that if the books are given to the public school, the kids
will be shy to borrow. In their house, the kids, the neighbors can borrow
anytime. Only one condition -- no pages will be torn or cut, keep the books
clean so that more kids can borrow and read.
Initiatives like this, people donating books they do not need anymore, and there will be young and old minds in rural areas who will be more than willing to see and read them. Civil society in action, zero need for extra government offices and taxes to make these things work.
---------------
See also:
CSOs and State 6: Stichting Kapatiran and Books for the Barrios, December 07, 2008
CSOs and State 7: Public School Library with Minimal Government, BftB, June 29, 2009
CSOs and State 18: Civil Society as Lobbyists for More Government? Cigarette Warning Bill, March 02, 2014
CSOs and State 19: UP Maroons and UP Alumni, March 24, 2014
CSOs and State 20, Gawad Kalinga and Housing for the Poor, June 08, 2015
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