I come from

I come from some shipwreck

from some remote village I come from.

Maybe I am a sleeping rock

perhaps I am awakened grass.

I come from some sparkle

from some watchful cactus I come.

Maybe I am a nameless river

perhaps I am a flaming drop.

I come from some star

from some lost arrow I come from.

Maybe I am a broken tooth

perhaps I am a walking foot.

I come from some mirage

from some beating heart I come.

Maybe I am distant blood

perhaps I am a beating dagger.

I come from some gaze

from some hidden silence I come.

Maybe I am a path by night

perhaps I am thirsty song.

I come from some eternal furrow

I come from some deserted place.

Maybe I am longing bliss

perhaps I am anchored anguish.

I come from some firmament

from some distant star I come from.

Maybe I'm everyone's dream

perhaps it's just that I love you.

Alfredo Mires

Invitation

 

Alfredo at Sagrado Corazón

Many years ago, we opened a Rural Library at the "Sagrado Corazón" Educational Institution in Jaén. The teachers of this institution are a fundamental pillar in our work with the BRIE. We admire and are always grateful for their solidarity, because, in addition to having a library of ours in their school, every year they include some of our books in their reading plan. They also organize various activities and events around reading and the books of the Network. 

For example:

The students of the first "A", have been reading with pleasure the work "La Ensoñación del Ñaupa" (The Dreaming of Ñaupa), by our beloved writer Alfredo Mires Ortiz, who lives in our hearts.

His work summarizes his thoughts and feelings about life and its diversity of themes.

The students have the main task of reading the verses and then interpreting them. Oh! how much richness we find in the socializations.

In this context, our students, guided by their teacher Asunciona Sánchez Córdova, creatively elaborated the author's biography - and look at the nice timelines they worked on:

Manuela with us

Throughout these more than 50 years of history, the Rural Libraries Network has had to adapt to the changes and adversities that have arisen during its history.

For the past couple of months, we have been joined by Manuela Torres, an accountant by profession and admirer of the Network, by her choice. She has joined the Community Program team and supports us in the new administrative procedures that we are beginning to implement. But more than keeping accounts, Manuela encourages us with the affection and respect she shows for the entire Network team. She never tires of saying how good and extraordinary she finds everything she discovers we are doing: with the processing of the books that must reach the communities, with the dedication of the Community Program Coordinators to the children, with the strength of Rita, Karina, Rosita and all the other members of the team.

Manuela's appreciation and admiration encourages us a lot in this time of change.

Our books as theatre

Surely we all agree that school is a place to study and learn. By that we mean maths, reading, writing, biology, physics, chemistry and many other subjects. Generally, we don't mention art - what a pity!

In the days of September, the I.E. 82663 of Bambamarca gave us a great lesson. We went to visit the BRIE (library in an educational institution) that we have in this school and the students and teachers surprised and delighted us with a festival of reading, narration and staging of stories.

What impressed the audience the most was a play, based on a story from the book Cuando cuenta Ño Nepta, published by the Rural Libraries Network, which was presented by all the teachers and some students of the school.

What beautiful memories these children have for their lives!

Calling to read

Our General Coordinator, Javier Huamán Lara, joined the Rural Library Network more than 40 years ago. At a very young age, he felt the need to continue studying and learning through books, and continues to do so to this day.

That is why he is always ready to highlight the value of books in the countryside and promotes critical reading in these difficult times, where many believe that the book is an "obsolete technology" since almost everyone has a cell phone.

In these wanderings, Javier coordinated a meeting with the Educational Institution "San Juan Bautista" in El Enterador, in Bambamarca, as part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of this school. The entire educational community welcomed us with open arms and with great interest in learning more about the Network. At the end, they asked us for the documents to open a Rural Library in their Educational Institution.

What a joy to know that there are still these little corners where good reading is appreciated!

Manuela's BRIE

Manuela Vásquez is a teacher at the Educational Institution Nº 82663 in Bambamarca. It is the application school of the Superior Pedagogical Institute of the place and, at the moment, it is without its own premises.

For this reason, the school moved, temporarily, to the facilities of a congregation, a large place on the outskirts of the city.

There we were able to visit Manuela. She and the children readers of her school proudly showed us the new space destined for the Rural Library in the Educational Institution - a welcoming and lively place.

There, you can read with pleasure!

Liuchocolpa... after a long time

One of the magical places for me in Cajamarca is Liuchocolpa, in the district of El Tambo, in Bambamarca, Hualgayoc. There, I feel, everything is beautiful: the mountains, the light, the stars at night, the calm and also its people.

It is one of the few places where there is still no drinking water and there is still a community. The word collpa means "place where mineral salts abound and where animals come to lick the earth", and I can imagine how, long ago, deer used to gather here in search of those salts. Community of everything and everyone.

For several years we have had a Rural Library in the Educational Institution of Liuchocolpa and, in September, it was our turn to visit it. We went in the company of a professor and some students from the Major National University of San Marcos (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos) in Lima.

The students and teachers of the local elementary school received us with great affection and we spent pleasant moments talking, reading and playing. But the most beautiful thing was the end: the coordinator of the area, Humberto Huamán Lara, had prepared a little offering to the earth. What for us is almost a custom, for the children and their teachers was something amazing and everyone participated with great joy.

Thank you for making this sharing such a beautiful moment.

Rita Mocker