Summary of visit to Cochabamba and La Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas

Maybe the most pleasant part of our visit to Cochabamba was the outstanding hospitality of Gaby Vallejo and the other 'mujeres peliogrosas' (dangerous women). For their wonderful hospitality and all the work they do for the Children of Cochabamba, we would like to thank Carmen Barrientos, Lidia Coca, Rosy Montan, Casilda Sempertegui, Olga Nunez, Mary Rojas, and special thanks to Gaby.

We would also like to thank Linda Veltze for maintaining this relationship with La Biblioteca. She has created a unique service learning opportunity for the students and Faculty of Appalachian State University, a mutually beneficial relationship with heart and purpose.

For more information about La Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas, see their website (in Spanish) or under 'additional information' in the right hand sidebar.

CAICC, Centro de Apoyo Integral Carcelario y Comunitario

Today Rosi and her husband Victor drove us to CAICC, Centro de Apoyo Integral Carcelario y Comunitario. Many of the students at CAICC have mothers incarcerated at the nearby women's prison. In Bolivia, children are allowed to live in the prisons with their incarcerated parents but the kids are free to go to school and other activities during the day. At CAICC children can spend their free time playing music, doing their homework, and earning some extra money by painting ceramics, baking bread, or performing music.

Teacher volunteers from la Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas come to CAICC to spend time helping students with their homework and special writing projects. CAICC has a nice collection of books in their study hall. The books are kept in a locked cabinet, reflecting the scarcity and value of books in this country. Many of the books are worn and well-read.

Our time at CAICC was very pleasant and memorable. We had a long discussion with Veronica, the director of CAICC. It is only after speaking with Veronica that we noticed the lack of electricity in the building. CAICC runs on minimal funding from the government-- they receive the largest block of their funds from volunteer students from other countries who pay for the opportunity to volunteer. We met four such volunteers, two from UNC-Chapel Hill. And even though CAICC does not have enough funds for electricity they invited John and I to stay for lunch, a three course meal with soup, eggs, rice, and plantains.

La Biblioteca de Sacaba / Library at Sacaba

Gaby escorted John and I to the library in Sacaba where we met Betzabe Cardenas, teacher volunteer, and Carmen Ortega, library staff member. The library at Sacaba is a beautiful open space equipped with materials supporting the academic studies of local students. The library is part of the Centro Cultural de Sacaba and is a cooperative effort between the municipal government of Sacaba and la Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas.

The library contains only textbooks for helping students with schoolwork. The textbooks are new and high-quality, mostly contributions from publishers. La Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas works with the Sacaba Library in planning programs for the arts, reading, and writing. The Bibliobus also makes visit to the Sacaba Library, bringing children's literature and picture books.

La Biblioteca Municipal Jesus Lara

Today Gaby escorted us to a public library in the center of Cochabamba, La Biblioteca Municipal Jesus Lara. As was the case with la Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas, there was no sign outside the building to publicize the library. It was on a busy city street, within the Cultural Affairs office building. At the public library we were given a tour by Luis Rubin de Selis, director of the library. The library itself has a large and airy reading room, with many tables and a card catalog lining up against one wall. All the books are housed in closed stacks, retrieved by library staff on request.

Sr. de Selis showed us the collection of books about Boliva, written by Bolivian and foreign authors. The books were obviously well-used. The vast majority were at least sixty years old or older. Sr. de Selis told us that unfortunately there was no money for new books and that the pollution of the city had taken a toll on those books they did own. One interesting fact- the only new books they had received in the past few years were gifts from the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez. One of his donations was a handsome set of the hundred best works from Latin America.

It was estimated that on a daily basis, 100 books are requested and that over 600 patrons visit the library. The vast majority of patrons are high-school students and some university students. There are nine public libraries in Cochabamba and only one offers anything for children. This is the library in Sacaba, a suburb of Cochabamba, and they offer only textbooks-- no children's literature or picture books.

La Escuela Municipal / Public School in Cochabamba

The public school we visited with Gaby was named La Escuela 27 de Mayo (the May 27th School), in the center of Cochabamba. The school has a large front gate, locked during school hours. The school itself is a large courtyard surrounded by two tiers of classrooms. Due to the insufficient number of public schools, three different four-hour school sessions are held each day in this building; morning, afternoon, and evening.

Four teachers from this school participate in the Biblioteca Th'urachapitas project La Ronda. This project lends books to teachers who in turn lend them to students. We visited two of these classrooms, one class of 40 very energetic nine and ten-year olds and a class of thirty twelve and thirteen-year olds who shared the importance of reading with us. Throughout the day in Cochabamba you see children in their school uniforms either on their way to school or leaving school on their way home. Many kids take public transportation to get to school.

La Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas with Gaby and Maria

After arriving in Cochabamba yesterday (Sunday), today we were picked up at our hotel by two of our hostesses, Gaby Vallejo (founder of la Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas) and Maria Rojas (long-time volunteer). Arrival at la Biblioteca is a bit of a surprise. The library itself is housed in an attractive yet non-descript building in a residential area. No sign outside the building proclaims the existence of a library within.

The library itself consists of two rooms. The larger room serves as the reading room and contains tables, stackable chairs, and book shelves. A second smaller room serves as an office with a desk, computer and more bookshelves. As we begin to discuss the many different programs operated by Gaby and her volunteers, it becomes clear that La Biblioteca expands much beyond these two small rooms (see sidebar page for The Many Programs of La Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas).

The library is not a quaint small space for children but a network of active and invested volunteers reaching out to schools, non-profit organizations, neighboring public libraries, and the general public. Currently la Biblioteca has over 7,000 books available for the children of Cochabamba, Bolivia. It is the only library in Bolivia specifically for children.