BiblioBurro – Donkey Library
May 2, 2010
Here is a wonderful (possibly even awesome!) story of a devoted teacher, Luis Humberto Soriano, who finds a way to bring books to children who otherwise would not have access to them in rural Colombia. This video shows how the children’s love of learning and of books is ignited through his mobile “book club”.
An excerpt from an article at CNN where Luis Soriano was nominated as one of the CNN Heroes of 2010:
“Soriano, 38, is a primary school teacher who spends his free time operating a “biblioburro,” a mobile library on donkeys that offers reading education for hundreds of children living in what he describes as “abandoned regions” in the Colombian state of Magdalena…
“I saw two unemployed donkeys at home and had the idea [to use] them in my biblioburro project because they can carry a heavy load,” Soriano said. “I put the books on their backs in saddles and they became my work tools…
Every Wednesday at dusk and every Saturday at dawn, Soriano leaves his wife and three young children to travel to select villages — up to four hours each way — aboard a donkey named Alfa. A second donkey, Beto, follows behind, toting additional books and a sitting blanket. They visit 15 villages on a rotating basis…
More than 4,000 youngsters have benefited from Soriano’s program since it began in 1990. Soriano says countless others have been helped, too; parents and other adult learners often participate in the lessons…”
Inspiring!
