The Bocas Breeze
July 2011
One Library at a Timehas been working in the Bocas area for a year. It is a non-profit, all volunteer organization that creates libraries in developing nations. Most recently the Biblioteca Por Ben library was created in Salt Creek on Bastimientos Island. Susan Aldrich, founder and director ofOne Library At A Timealong with Aleen Jaghalian (an intern completing her degree in Anthropology and International Studies from California State University, Long Beach), and first time volunteer Alexandra Ellis who specialized in Disaster Mitigation at Boston University, were all present on Monday, June 13thwhen the boxes of books were opened and shown to the teachers.
“As we opened the boxes of books we’d brought for the Salt Creek Library and began to show the selection to some of the teachers, a few small faces began to appear in the windows and door and the number slowly grew. The arrival of the books created an immediate sensation
and a curiosity not only in the children of the village but in the adults as well. That was the moment that made me truly grateful to have been involved with One Library at a Time” said Alexandra Ellis,“books are about learning and curiosity and hopefully the library will become a doorway for the people living at Salt Creek.”
This would have not been possible without the help and support of the local Peace Corp volunteer Matthew Sutton (Mateo) who was instrumental in bringing the Salt Creek Community together to transform an existing unused building, with a little paint and shelving, into the space for the new library. Susan Aldrich says “One Library at a Timebelieves all good libraries should be learning centers for the whole community”. Biblioteca por Ben is also a resource center for the teachers, students and adults in the Salt Creek Community. Matthew Sutton holds English classes for the women one day and the men the next. It will be fun to see what other learning options will be offered at this small library.”
One Library at a Timebelieves that the teachers know best which books should be in their library. Last January thirty books were left for summer school use with Matthew Sutton. After consulting teachers and community elders, and observing how children interacted with the books, it was apparent that the most sought out were those on science, especially animals! It seems that some things are universal. Whether it is an interest in the family pet, observing a lizard on a rail, or how lightning comes about, all children hold a fascination for the natural world. The books available in the Salt Creek library can nurture this fascination and hopefully lead students towards developing their interests further and following their dreams, whatever they may be. The community also requested books on geography and mathematics and so the books purchased were mostly related to those fields, but there were also a few classical reads for adults and fun ones as well for the younger children.
One Library At A Timesupplied the library with $1000.00 worth of books purchased in Panama City and flown in as cargo to Bocas. By purchasing books in the country in which they work the organization supports local businesses as well.
They have been working in Panama for nearly 2 ½ years. Susan Aldrich returns to Panama approximately every six months to work with local contacts and volunteers on libraries she has already established, such as the ones in David and Alto Guaybol, and creates new ones in indigenous island communities such as the community in Salt Creek.
In the Bocas area they have supplied books to two other village libraries on Popa Island where Peace Corp volunteers Michelle Aguilar and Kate Douglas are also based.One Library At A Timewas able to pass on much needed books to the volunteers who were grateful for the contribution and excited about the significance it would have in their classrooms. . As Michelle said “I can’t wait for story time in our community. The kids will be so excited.”
“One of our major goals is to have the larger community continue to support the local indigenous libraries when we are gone” says Susan Aldrich, “and we are looking forward to hearing from local organizations who can assist with fundraising or book drives to sustain the libraries afterOne Library At A Timehas left.” If you are interested please contact Susan . OnceOne Library At A Timehas finished setting a library on the road to success by cataloging and labeling the books, it is now the community’s library.
They have been fortunate that the David library is now supported by five churches.
Aleen Jaghalian plans to meet next week with a teacher from Alto Guaybol and one of the representatives of the Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) to make arrangements for future contributions to the library in the Comarca. She is excited to have the opportunity in gaining a deeper understanding of the needs of the school in order to assess the ways in which the library can become more effective within the community. “Ideally the library in Alto Guaybol can be a safe place where people of all ages can meet and interact with each other, share ideas, learn new things, and dream. I went into my internship believing that a little bit of knowledge and imagination can greatly change a person’s life and the world. One should never underestimate the power of books in the process.”
The people at the Casa Verde Hostel were very generous with their time and knowledge of the area. As Alexandra Ellis said “getting around the islands is difficult without a working knowledge of the area and the water taxi system,” and workers at Casa Verde have been instrumental in helping us out in that regard.
As stated on their web page: Welcome to an opportunity to change countless lives by opening a world of knowledge through libraries. We atOne Library At A Timeare honored to be a part of that process.
For more information onOne Library At A Timego toonelibraryatatime.comor see them on facebook: One Library At A Time;.