The Cajamarca region of Peru has one of the highest levels of poverty and illiteracy in the country. Since 1971 the Rural Libraries Network has  supported remote campesino communities scattered throughout the mountains to develop and maintain  literacy programs where community members help each other learn to read and write in small informal settings. Over 700 small libraries located in the homes of the local “librarian” provide a small collection of books that become the focus of reading circles. After the books have been read they are exchanged for new titles within the network.

The rural librarians recorded oral testimonies directly from the campesinos about their lives and culture and used this material to create a series of books called “We the Cajamarcans”. Heart-Links partnered in this initiative to allow the publishing of 1000 copies of easy-to-read editions of the 20 most popular titles. These books were distributed throughout the network of rural libraries to help enrich the limited resources of this remarkable literacy program.

For an informative and inspiring video on the Rural Library Network of Cajamarca see   http://vimeo.com/21726471