The first nine volumes of the revised edition of the Enciclopedia Campesina are on their way to schools and home-based libraries across the northern Andes. A new title by Alfredo Mires, co-founder of Heart-Links’ partner the Rural Libraries Network, was also launched today at a special presentation in Cajamarca.
The Enciclopedia is a series of 20 volumes that gathers stories and knowledge from Indigenous communities of the region. The new volumes will now be distributed to those same communities—almost 400 of them. Through informal gatherings and reading circles, community members use the books to help each other learn to read and write. These exchanges foster self-esteem, revitalize cultural traditions and build community—between young and old and between different communities.
Reconnecting through Libraries
The Rural Libraries Network also supplies more than 20 schools in the region with books from the series. And a new program is reconnecting youth with elders by inviting them to speak at the libraries. These initiatives foster intergenerational exchange so that young Peruvians know more about their land and traditions.
Heart-Links is proud to fund this revised edition of the Enciclopedia Campesina. Your donations are promoting literacy in remote rural communities and bringing young Peruvians knowledge of their roots.