Thousand of Books for New Community Center in Ghana

Thousands of books from Reader to Reader are on their way to Ghana, to fill the shelves at a new community center in Accra.

Reader to Reader supports literacy projects in 23 countries.

Laptops Donated Around the World

Laptops are on their way to villages in Bolivia, Ecuador and Zambia, all courtesy of  Reader to Reader's computer donation program.

The laptops heading to Ecuador are being hand-carried by high school students that are spending their year studying abroad.

The laptops for Bolivia arrived earlier this summer. Here is a family in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, enjoying their laptop donated by Reader to Reader.

Our laptop donations to Bolivia included three laptops to Parque Machía, a wildlife sanctuary.

And Blessed Ngoma is working to open a community center in Zambia, so we are donating laptops, books, puzzles, games and even a laptop projector.

Reader to Reader Computer Lab is up and Running in Nigeria

The latest Reader to Reader computer lab is up and running in Idah Kogi State, Nigeria.

“We are highly thrilled by your massive support. You have enhanced our computer-based learning and thus acquainted us with lots of computer works/ In fact, your kind gesture will continue to keep our hopes alive for a better learning and future.  –Rev. Fr. Anthony Ojoka Ojotule
About the Computer Donation Program

Reader to Reader's Computer Donation Program donates new and refurbished computers, tablet computers, and e-readers. Computer labs have been built in the Navajo Nation, Hopi Nation, Massachusetts, New York, Ghana, Kosovo, Nigeria, and Trinidad & Tobago.

In addition, computers have been donated to projects in Bolivia, The Bahamas, Costa Rica, Kenya, Nepal, Nicaragua, and other states and countries.

College Students Chart New Path for Beyond el Campo Project

For the seventh straight year, Reader to Reader’s Beyond el Campo team is spending the summer in the village of Santa Cruz, Costa Rica, helping strengthen and support the village’s public library.

The team is made up of four Amherst College students, who spend their days working on the infrastructure of the library and running literacy programs for the village’s children and adults.

Among the first infrastructure tasks they tackled this summer was the building of a concrete path to the library, and painting the library’s exterior.

About Beyond el Campo

Founded in 2009, Beyond el Campo established and supports 3-room public library with over 3,000 books, a computer lab, and a space for teens. The library serves the immediate community of over 2,000 people. 

The college-student-led project provides educational programming, including book groups, summer reading camps and after-school study support.

Beyond el Campo, a project of Reader to Reader's Springboard Program, seeks to combat the issue of educational inequality in Costa Rica by providing essential tools and educational resources to inspire success. Its goals are to provide a public space that serves as a community center for learning and creative engagement; to equip that space with resources that connect students with their own passions and interests; and to offer educational programs and workshops open to the entire community.

Books on the Way to The Bahamas for Hurricane Relief

Hurricane Joaquin, which missed the U.S. mainland in early October, did terrible damage to the Bahamas, especially the country's southern islands.

Hurricane Joaquin, which at its peak had wind speeds of 155 MPH, was only the 20th Category 4 or 5 hurricane to impact the island nation in historical records dating all the way back to 1851.

Schools were severely damaged with many losing all their books, computers, furniture and school supplies.

Many homes were completely destroyed, with 87% of the homes on Crooked Island totally destroyed.

We are pleased to be part of the relief effort, and we are already shipping boxes of books and school supplies.

Hope of Haiti Project Continues to Aid Haiti School

Haeinn Woo, the founder of the Hope of Haiti project, recently brought books from Reader to Reader and funds raised by Mt. Holyoke students to the school that is supported in Haiti.

Hope of Haiti is one of eight international projects created and supported through Reader to Reader’s Springboard Program.

Since being established after Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, Hope of Haiti has donated books, school supplies and paid teachers’ salaries in order to further education in Haiti.

About the Springboard Program

The Springboard Program brings Five College students into the world of non-profit work through the development and implementation of their own international or domestic literacy project. Springboard guides students through the entire process, teaching them the skills necessary to lead their own literacy project and giving them unparalleled leadership opportunity.

Past Springboard projects have included building a public library in a coffee farming village in Costa Rica, establishing a school to teach women to read in Nigeria, and expanding a special education program in the Dominican Republic.

If you are interested in learning more about the Springboard Program please click here.

Beyond el Campo Team Spends Summer in Costa Rica

This year’s Beyond el Campo team, Leonie Rauls, Melissa Martinez and Maria Vergara, arrived in Santa Cruz, Costa Rica, where they taught their first English class at the public library.

“We taught them the body parts and played an interactive game of putting note cards with the body parts on someone's body. Then we sang the Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes song to reinforce what they had learned. “

About Beyond el Campo

Beyond el Campo, a project of Reader to Reader's Springboard Program, seeks to combat the issue of educational inequality in Costa Rica by providing essential tools and educational resources to inspire success. Its goals are to provide a public space that serves as a community center for learning and creative engagement; to equip that space with resources that connect students with their own passions and interests; and to offer educational programs and workshops open to the entire community.

Books and Computers Help Ghana Students Prosper!

We are pleased to report that Reader to Reader's work sending books and computers to Ghana has boosted academic achievement. Here is a note we recently received detailing the progress at Eno Boanimah Memorial Academy in Kasoa, Ghana.

“We want to thank you for the great support that we have gotten from Reader to Reader. We have great news. Eno Boanimah Memorial Academy in Kasoa, Ghana, presented its first set of students to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) 2014 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The results were outstanding. 100% of the EBMA students passed the examinations. In addition, 5 of the 13 students received distinctions."

Reader to Reader’s book and computer donation programs serve schools, libraries and outreach programs across the United States and in 16 countries.

2014 Springboard Project Recipient Announced

We are pleased to announce that Elson Dale Low, a senior at Amherst College, has been accepted into Reader to Reader’s Springboard Program.

The Springboard Program helps college students launch global literacy projects all around the world, and Elson Dale Low’s project, the Cognitive Initiative, develops academic summer programs in Guyana.

Under the terms of the Springboard Program, Reader to Reader has awarded Low $2,000 to be used for staffing costs and other project needs.

This is a very well-thought-out project,” notes Reader to Reader founder David Mazor. “We are pleased to support the excellent work that Elson Dale Low is doing, and know it is making an important educational contribution to the young people of Guyana.”

Past Springboard projects have built a library in a coffee farming village in Costa Rica, started a school for special needs students in the Dominican Republic, supported a school in Haiti, built a community center in Nicaragua, and founded a school Nigeria.

Click to see a one-minute film on the Springboard Program.

Pura Vida People

Summer intern Joel Campo shares his experiences working on project Beyond el Campo in Santa Cruz, Costa Rica.

I have now been in Santa Cruz de Leon Cortes, Costa Rica for two weeks and it has been great. Since being here, Cheyenne, Lexie and I have taught English lessons to children and adults, and have also been working on constructing a new computer room for the public library. Teaching and constructing the computer room is going really well and is a very rewarding experience. We hope to finish the computer room soon so that it may be useful to the people of Santa Cruz. Also, Cheyenne, Lexie, and I have many things planned for upcoming weeks and we are excited to see how everything works out!

However, although teaching, constructing the computer room, and planning new projects are a large part of the great experience I am having, one thing that has really impacted me is some of the great people I have met here in Santa Cruz. My host mom, Ana Navarro, happens to be one of these great people. Ana makes clothes for a living and has a nice shop at the front of the house, and also works with the local government. Ana has two sons, Cesar (19) and Miguel (21). One thing that has stood out to me about her is that she seems to be able to talk to anyone. Ana and I have discussed many topics since I’ve arrived in Santa Cruz. We have talked about the experiences she has had hosting volunteers over the years and I realized that a few years ago she hosted Caitlin Scudder, the founder of the Beyond El Campo initiative. Caitlin and Ana’s family remain friends to this day. Ana and I also talked about her experiences visiting the United States. Coincidentally, she spent time in my home state (New Jersey) and worked in Elizabeth for a few months, which was the city where my father worked for many years. Speaking of fathers, I should also mention that Ana and I have spent time discussing a topic that is difficult for the both of us—the passing of our fathers in November of 2012. This was the first year in my life that I didn’t spend Father’s day with my family; but I am glad that I have felt comfortable enough to talk to Ana and her family about our similar experiences. I am very grateful to have landed in this host family and out of the many people I have met here in Santa Cruz, Ana is largely responsible for the amazing time I am having.

Another person I have met and made good friends with is a young man named Adonay (18). I met Adonay because he is currently renting a room at Ana’s house. He has supported himself for the past two years and his weekly schedule is one that is difficult for me to imagine. He wakes up every morning during the week at 4:30am to go to work on a farm, and he finishes working around 2:00pm. Then, he borrows a friend’s motorcycle to go take classes at the high school he attends about a half hour away. He usually does not return back to Ana’s house until 9:30pm during the week. I grew up in a small middle-class city in New Jersey so I haven’t been exposed to many situations like Adonay’s, but as hard as Adonay’s situation may be, his thirst for knowledge has pleasantly surprised me. Whenever he and I have free time, he asks me to practice English with him and I of course am more than happy to oblige. He told me he hopes to one day go to college in the United States and become a doctor. I told him to keep working and to never give up.

Another person who has really inspired me during my time here is an elderly woman named Gillermina. Last week, Adonay and I went on a walk (which is more similar to a hike here in Santa Cruz) to Gillermina’s house so that he could introduce us. Gillermina is a highly respected woman here in Santa Cruz and I was fortunate enough to talk to her about her life for a few hours. She is 64 years old and in 2007 she published a collection of beautiful poems, many of which have to do with her experiences here in Santa Cruz. Her inspiration to publish the book of poems came after she had been on her deathbed for many months while battling stomach cancer for six years. She won the battle, and is now fully cured and walks around with a beautiful, welcoming smile.  She also has a great voice and I was happy to hear her read a few poems and sing a few songs that she had written. While I was at her home she even read a poem that is dedicated to the volunteers that come to work in Santa Cruz every year. Meeting Gillermina is something I will never forget. I plan to bring her book of poems back home so that I can give it to my grandmother as a gift.

Our goals coming here were to create equal educational opportunities through teaching English and to provide new resources for the public library. But as you can see, in this post I decided to focus less on what we have been doing and more on the great people I have interacted with here in Santa Cruz. I feel what we are doing in this community is very important but creating relationships with the people here is just as crucial. I look forward to continue working with Cheyenne and Lexie (and now Andrew, who is a high school student that just arrived today!) because they are all awesome, hardworking people and we are all on the same page about what we want to accomplish in time we have here. I am very excited to be on this team and I am just as excited to establish relationships with more great people in this community.

Finally, the Costa Rican national team is playing great in the World Cup and their performance has given the Santa Cruz community and the Beyond El Campo interns one more reason to smile! GO TICOS!

Pura Vida,


Joel Campo

I ha

In a land without an army

Beyond el Campo summer intern Cheyenne Pritchard shares her experiences living in Santa Cruz, Costa Rica.

I am in a land without an army and with coffee that does not need sugar. A honk is a friendly hello and unlike many students at Amherst, people walk with a bright smile and shout across the mountain, “buenas.” The sun is well in the sky before 6:00 AM, making for a much longer workday, and the voices of men in the fields can be heard from my backyard patio. The best way to describe this land is free. Although in some places mountains create a sense of barrier, here they remind me of the vast potential of our being. To say the people here are great would do them injustice, they are pure, and like the country motto suggests, my family truly lives una pura vida: a calm life led by the ability to let go of all they cannot control.

For example, this past Saturday I woke up with an extreme pain in my right arch. I looked down, finding a red area the circumference of a tennis ball and a red line following the path of a large vein. Past experience led me to quickly and quite frantically conclude that I had a Staph Infection. Despite my ability to usually communicate in Spanish, I could hardly form words due to my fear. My host mother, Nuria, calmly sat me down and tried to understand what was happening. Within the next hour, I was paying for antibiotics and heading back to Santa Cruz with our program director Sergio by my side. Although this was all quite stressful to me, I witnessed many acts of pura vida. First, every person I passed either in car or foot honked or waved. In the clinic, which included a small waiting area and one office, there was an aura of peace and understanding that one could not find in the impatient and pristine waiting rooms of the U.S. The doctor spoke slowly and said, “tranquila,” or “be calm” as soon as I sat down. When I returned to Santa Cruz, families I passed asked how I was doing, offered their phone to call home, and provided a warmth and friendly state of being that is utterly contagious. Thus far, my foot “trauma” has been the only imperfection of my trip and led me to a greater understanding of how the people of Santa Cruz work through life: with calmness, attentiveness, and an abundance of love.

This past week has been filled with computer room construction and many English classes. Monday through Friday, we teach English classes for “los niños,” ages 4-6. Right now we are working on basic introductions, colors, and today we made smiley-face puppets to introduce emotions and feelings. We pass many of the children in our classes throughout the day, and it is a joy to hear them say, “hello” or “see you” without being prompted. In addition, we started holding English classes for adults on Mondays and Wednesdays. Unlike my experience in America learning Spanish, there is little or no exposure to the English language in Santa Cruz, making it extremely challenging for the adults to form sounds and enunciate certain words. Regardless, they are making progress and in return are great Spanish teachers. Finally, every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday we head to the elementary school to work with first and fourth graders. The English teacher is very welcoming and open to any of our ideas and was happy to give us complete control over certain classes. More than anything, he was excited for his students to hear native English speakers.

Although re-doing the computer table created some problems and gave Lexie an allergic reaction, we are close to finishing the large and newly painted wooden table. The room has new windows and a beautifully constructed wooden door. This week we are painting the walls light blue with a green trim. The people of Santa Cruz are generously helping and community members living nearby have done a good deal of the construction. In a moment of creative genius, we decided to use the old books lying around the library to make a foot cushion and two small chairs. Made out of old books, two belts, a homemade wooden block, and cushions, we are doing our best to create stylish and resourceful chairs. Not to mention, we momentarily threatened the peaceful state of Costa Rica during our vicious fight against the giant spiders and cockroaches hiding within the boxes filled with old books. Yikes!

Within our first and very busy week, we managed to squeeze in a weekend trip to Jaco beach, about four hours away. Although the sun was hiding for most of the day, all three of us had a blast playing soccer with the locals and sharing chips and guacamole at a restaurant alongside the beach. The waves were big enough for surfers; so big, in fact, that while I was riding a horse in a small circle (go my touristy self), a wave crashed on the shore far enough to reach our bags. Sadly, I lost my phone, IPod, and had to buy a dress for the remainder of our trip due to the power of one wave. Nonetheless, the day was filled with four goals scored by your one-and-only, though Lexie would say the other team let me score (maybe that part is true), delicious ice cream, and a stunning bus ride back.

I have yet to unravel all of life here in Santa Cruz, and I doubt I will be able to before my eight weeks are over. What more could I want? As a girl who moves quickly through her day with practices, classes and other appointments in The United States, there have been very few, if any, things as rewarding as these first eight days. I can only hope that through my genuine excitement to teach the beautifully complicated English language and my desire to share my joy of reading that I will be able to return some piece of what they have already given me here in Santa Cruz.

As they say here, Ciao!

Pura Vida and Greetings from Santa Cruz!

(photo: Summer intern Cheyenne Pritchard paints the new schedule on the front of the library)

Summer intern Lexie Barber reports on the start of this summer’s Beyond el Campo project in Santa Cruz, Costa Rica.

Cheyenne, Joel and I arrived on Saturday and I can’t believe it’s already been three days. Time really does fly! Cheyenne and I left Chicago Saturday morning, and after a smooth four-hour flight, we landed in San Jose. The Costa Rican national soccer team was there so the airport was packed with reporters and cameras. It was pretty cool! We were supposed to meet Joel in the airport, but after 45 minutes of searching for him (with the help of a very kind old woman who ran up to every man in the airport yelling “Joel?!”), Sergio found us and told us that Joel was coming in late that evening instead since he got into a car accident on his way to the airport. He’s ok though so don’t worry!!

That evening we all got settled in our host homes and got to know our host families. I’m living with Clemencia and Tali who are fantastic people—so patient and welcoming. Cheyenne is living with Nuría and Pedro and Joel is living with Ana and her two sons Miguel and Cesar. Cheyenne and I live super close to each other and Joel lives down a hill from us, a little ways past the library.

On Sunday, Sergio took the three of us on a tour of Santa Cruz. Everything is pretty spread out, vertically and horizontally, and we haven’t fully adjusted to the altitude change so the walk wiped us out, but it was great to get a better sense of where everything is. We saw the elementary and high schools, the community center, grocery stores, greenhouse, and what felt like dozens of houses that are owned by Sergio’s aunts and uncles. After our tour we set up a calendar for all of our projects so that we would be ready to discuss them with the president of Santa Cruz and the women who will be working in the library with us. The meeting went smoothly and everyone seemed excited to help us make our dreams a reality.

Our first main construction project is to convert one of the classrooms into a computer lab. Today, Monday, we bought a bunch of paint and wood finish to give the room a fresh new look. We’re hoping to begin painting the walls tomorrow! Additionally, we have been helping the English teacher, Sandra, with preschool English classes and will be holding our own English classes for adults on Mondays and Wednesdays, the first class being this Wednesday.

It’s been a hectic couple of days, but honestly some of my favorite days in a long time. Santa Cruz is gorgeous and everyone in town is so friendly and kind. It’s clear that we can make a big impact here and despite being a smaller group than is typical, we make a great team and are all on the same page about what we want to accomplish in the next two months. I’m looking forward to all of our projects for this week, and a possible beach trip this weekend! More to come later on!

Ciao, Lexie

Duo to lead Beyond el Campo Project in Costa Rica

Amherst College students  Alexandra Barber and Cheyenne Pritchard will be spending their summer in the village of Santa Cruz de Leon Cortes, Costa Rica, as the leaders of the Beyond el Campo Project.

The duo will supervise a group of college students that will be doing a wide variety of literacy projects.

Now in its fifth year, Beyond el Campo established and supports 3-room public library with over 3,000 books, and provides educational programming, including book groups, summer reading camps and after-school study support.

The library serves the immediate community of over 2,000 people. 

Beyond el Campo, a project of Reader to Reader's Springboard Program, seeks to combat the issue of educational inequality in Costa Rica by providing essential tools and educational resources to inspire success. Its goals are to provide a public space that serves as a community center for learning and creative engagement; to equip that space with resources that connect students with their own passions and interests; and to offer educational programs and workshops open to the entire community.

An Amherst grad teams with Reader to Reader in an inspiring book drive

Having grown up in the West African nation of Ghana, Selasie Krampa knew what books could mean to a student in a developing country. So after graduating from Amherst College and taking a job at Aetna in Hartford, Connecticut, he started a book drive for Africa at his office.

“Easy access to books can help increase literacy rates in developing countries,” Selasie says. “This firm belief is what led me to start a book drive.”

A fellow Amherst College alumnus told him about Reader to Reader’s commitment to international literacy, and Selasie contacted us early this year to see if we could boost his collection efforts.

We helped Selasie bring the books down to his collection site in Hartford this weekend. Reader to Reader’s donation to the effort consists of 1200 books, ranging from pre-K to adult, in both English and French. These books, along with donations from his co-workers at Aetna, will head for Africa in April, shipped courtesy of Aetna.

Selasie’s optimistic outlook, as he works to develop resources, reflects exactly what drives our efforts: “I know how difficult it is to get access to books, especially as a child,” Selasie says. “I believe that reading a book can completely change a child's outlook of life.”

Caitlin Scudder and Students Heads to Costa Rica in Support of Beyond el Campo Project

Caitlin Scudder, founder of Reader to Reader's Beyond el Campo project and former reading mentor, is heading back to Costa Rica with students from the Spanish class she teaches at The Academy at Charlemont.

Caitlin will bring 12 students and 3 chaperones on a trip to visit the public library she established in the coffee-farming village of Santa Cruz.  The group will contribute books and funds to help sustain the library.

Originally established as a 1-room library with 500 books, the library has grown to 3 rooms housing almost 3,000 books thanks to twice-annual visits by Amherst College and Reid College students as well as other volunteers. The service trips are supervised by Reader to Reader.

Thanks to the energy and passion of these volunteers, the library has also added computers, Wi-Fi, summer-long literacy programs, and reading groups, and is an important community social space.

One of Reader to Reader's priorities this year is to expand the number of young adult level books, and Caitlin is bringing down books we have given her that include Spanish-language editions of The Hunger Games series, and other popular young adult novels.

We are so pleased that Caitlin is still helping this much-needed community library thrive, and wish her and her students un buen viaje!

Beyond el Campo, a project of Reader to Reader's Springboard Program, seeks to combat the issue of educational inequality in Costa Rica by providing essential tools and educational resources to inspire success. Its goals are to provide a public space that serves as a community center for learning and creative engagement; to equip that space with resources that connect students with their own passions and interests; and to offer educational programs and workshops open to the entire community.

Science Books Reach Ghana University

Dear Reader to Reader,

On Behalf of Presbyterian College Ghana, I would like to thank you for the generous donation of science books to the library. Your donation really matched the needs of our library and we greatly appreciate it. The books will be put to great use.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. Grace Annoh
Librarian
Presbyterian University College, Ghana

*The titles the library received included multiple copies of the following titles:

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR, NEUROANATOMY THROUGH CLINICAL CASE, LEARNING & BEHAVIOR, BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY, THE CELL, DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY, PRIMER OF ECOLOGICAL STATISTICS, ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY, PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, WHY WE SEE WHAT WE DO, EXPLORING ANIMAL BEHAVIOR, MICROBIAL LIFE , and PLANT PHYSIOLOGY.

The donation from Reader to Reader’s Ghana Book Project was made possible by the generosity of Sinauer Associates, publishers of college-level textbooks and educational multimedia in biology, psychology, neuroscience, and allied disciplines. A special thank you to Sinauer Associates for making this donation possible.

$18,000 in New Science Textbooks for Ghana University

Reader to Reader is pleased to announce an $18,000 new science textbooks donation to Presbyterian University College, Ghana.     

Located in Agogo, Ghana, the university serves the people within the Kwahu Traditional Area.

The science textbooks include multiple copies of the following titles:
 

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR, NEUROANATOMY THROUGH CLINICAL CASE, LEARNING & BEHAVIOR, BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY, THE CELL, DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY, PRIMER OF ECOLOGICAL STATISTICS, ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY, PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, WHY WE SEE WHAT WE DO, EXPLORING ANIMAL BEHAVIOR, MICROBIAL LIFE , and PLANT PHYSIOLOGY.

The textbooks are now heading to Ghana as part of Reader to Reader’s Ghana Book Project.

The donation was made possible through the generosity of Sinauer Associates,  publishers of college-level textbooks and educational multimedia in biology, psychology, neuroscience, and allied disciplines.

A special thank you to Sinauer Associates for making this donation possible.