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.
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