Santa Cruz Balanya

The Mayor of Santa Cruz Balanya, pictured speaking here, created this library with the help of Child Aid and PROBIGUA. As you can see, the library is huge. This is the first year they´ve had the reading program and attendance was small but very enthusiastic. The children were very, very young. My hope is that, over time, these programs will develop for the older kids. Creating programs for young adults (ages 12 to 18) can have so many benefits for both the students and the community... Young kids see that reading is something that you grow up doing, creating a reading culture. It also allows the older kids an opportunity to help the younger kids - reinforcing what they´ve learned, giving them confidence and communication skills. And let´s face it - kids don´t look up to ¨old people¨ (and once you´ve hit 25 - to a six year old - you are pretty much over the hill and will likely die soon)they look up to teens! Envolving young adults creates a sustainable cycle of reading.