By Debora Gambetta Paim | Institutional Development Intern
Dear supporter,
We are very impressed with the results of the Library Ranking Vaga Lume has conducted in 158 rural communities where the organization operates and we would like to share this information with you.
Near the Uaupés River in the Iauaretê district, which is part of the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas state, 30 families live in a community called Yawisa and own the best evaluated library in the Vaga Lume Library Ranking. Yawisa is an indigenous rural community where Tukanos and Tarianos ethnic groups live and preserve their culture and speak their native language, in addition to Portuguese, the official language in Brazil .
The Vaga Lume team arrived in São Gabriel da Cachoeira in 2002 and Tokê Library (as it is called in the local indigenous language) was founded in 2008 at the request of the community own members. The library has taken place at the Indigenous Municipal School Enu Irine Idakine Tariana before the people from the community could build a wooden house exclusively to keep their treasure: the books, demonstrating community involvement with the library, one of the highlights that leads Tokê to the top of the ranking.
In addition, the community residents organize themselves into a group of volunteers responsible for maintaining the library always working. Reading mediation sessions are held daily at the school, inside the library itself, in community houses, in other rooms and even in neighbouring communities. The volunteers trained as reading mediators who work in the library are teachers, parents, youth and children engaged in reading with pleasure and the appreciation of books as cultural objects which are not simply means to formal education, but an end in itself. The frequency of reading activities and the dedication of the volunteers shows concern with the library and appropriation of this cultural equipment by the community.
Besides reading mediation sessions, library volunteers promote environmental activities (excursions, clean-up, planting, composting, lectures), storytelling moments with older residents of the community and produce handmade books from the stories they tell. Initiatives like this demonstrate commitment to the work in the community and how Vaga Lume has had a positive impact in the community.
Thank you, you have made it possible by donating for Vaga Lume. You are in this with us! We wish you all the kindness you have provided to our children from the Amazon!
Other stories and news are available at http://www.vagalume.org.br/home
If you have any doubts or comments, do drop us a line!
Best wishes,
Vaga Lume Team
By Debora Gambetta Paim | Institutional Development Intern
By Debora Gambetta Paim | Institutional Development Intern
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