All beings are alive.
All life is sacred.
The whole earth is a temple.
Alfredo Mires
Tuesday, 7 April 2026
Grateful
Books are food for the mind. How right the person who said that was! Not only because of their content, but because reading them transports us to incredible worlds and enriches our minds. For this reason, we are grateful for the initiative of the Blanco and Barboza families, who have donated books to us. These are a valuable contribution to the readers of our rural libraries and enable us to offer a wider variety of titles to continue encouraging reading.
If you would also like to support us by donating books, please get in touch with us so that we can continue on this path we have set out on with your valuable help.
Thank you for believing in us…
Back to School
A few days ago, a new school year began in our country.
At this time of year, with a bit of luck, schools are spruced up with a lick of paint, toilet repairs, and the tidying up of cupboards, amongst other tasks. Teachers review and draw up their lesson plans, timetables, and all the guidelines they need to ensure a successful year.
As librarians, we simply hope that the libraries in every single school in our country are also given a boost, and that, hopefully, children are welcomed with a book in hand, along with plans, projects and strategies to encourage and inspire reading for better understanding.
At this time, given the state of the world, more than ever, we need to develop the critical thinking, discernment and creativity of children and young people, based on what they read.
Without reading, we cannot achieve the quality education we so desire.
Sócota in FA
It’s always a source of joy and encouragement when new libraries open.
At our last meeting, the Network’s teacher and librarian, Abel Vásquez Saucedo, brought a large number of books to open two BRs in FA in Sócota, Cutervo: Rural Libraries in Families!
The BRs in FA are part of an initiative that emerged during the pandemic when, in the most remote parts of Peru, where there are no mobile phones or internet signal, students went almost two years without effective support from teachers and educational institutions.
These mini family libraries that we created in this context were the only source of information and learning for many children. They also provided a reason to gather again in the evenings, as a family, after a day’s farm work, around the fire, to read.
They are now spreading throughout the Network’s territory, thanks to initiatives such as those of Mr Abel.
Thank you very much and welcome to our ayllu of Libraries!
We also learn from our land
On 25th February, our brothers José Isabel Ayay Valdéz and Javier Huamán Lara held a discussion as part of a course on Spanish Linguistics at the National University of Cajamarca.
Many people might express disdain (and possibly be scandalised) at the idea of two peasant farmers taking part in such an ‘academic’ activity, and even more so at a university.
The truth is that knowledge comes from everywhere and none of it deserves to be looked down upon, a view we have upheld in our network since our inception.
Furthermore, the reality is that education is not confined to four grey walls with young people chained to desks for eight hours a day, facing someone who has (academically) a little more experience than they do. Education is a phenomenon that cuts across the fabric of human existence and often comes from the most unexpected places.
This is borne out by the students who took part in this activity, who also affirmed that Don Javier and Don José Isabel delivered a masterclass in Quechua and Andean culture.
Rumi Mires
On permanence and new beginnings
Those familiar with the Rural Libraries Network know that we view our association not as a hierarchical entity, but – in keeping with Andean tradition – as a horizontal organisation. Our organisational chart resembles a mandala, those Hindu diagrams that represent the cosmos through a series of concentric circles and recurring patterns.
Within this, one of the circles or ‘figures’ is the Permanent Council, a consultative body across various areas of the Network.
For a long time, this body was inactive; the advanced age of some of our members, the pandemic and other factors prevented us from meeting. In 2025, at our last assembly, we formed a new Permanent Council, made up of field coordinators, teachers and volunteers from the Network.
On 19 February, after many years, the new council met for the first time. We felt great joy, satisfaction, encouragement, light and hope, a great deal of dedication and many new ideas and initiatives in this space for listening and debate.
It seems that this council has a many dawns.
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