About Us

About Us

In Nicaragua, the third-poorest country in the Americas, it takes an average of 10.3 years to complete the mandatory six years of schooling with only about 60% of those who enter primary school making it to grade 5. Access to books, especially for families living in poverty, is rare, and lending libraries practically non-existent. Libraries that do exist rarely lend books or have books aimed at children. This is unfortunate, for research has shown links between having access to books and positive school performance.

Opportunity International is a non-profit organization in Nicaragua whose mission is to “provide opportunities to people in poverty to transform their lives.” One of our strategies is to strengthen communities by providing opportunities to receive loans for community economic development projects. Biblioteca “Quiero Aprender Contigo” came about through such an opportunity: Community leaders in Chilamate, Nicaragua, a rural village on the outskirts of Granada knew that they needed a library for their children and community to develop.

Opportunity International, through the IDEA Fund, can partner with leaders in poor communities that have big IDEAS but really need a partner to help make it a reality.

History

In the middle of 2006, community leaders in El Chilamate, a rural community on the outskirts of Granada, proposed the idea of creating a community library to Opportunity International. Community leaders knew that they wanted a library in their community attached to the local primary school to give students access to books. Opportunity International provided the community leaders a loan, technical assistance, and training for both the formation of a library board of directors and volunteer librarians. Construction of the library building was finished in November 2006, and the Library Board of Directors decided on the name, Biblioteca "Quiero Aprender Contigo," which means Library "I Want to Learn with You" in Spanish.

Biblioteca "Quiero Aprender Contigo" Board of Directors receive the first book donation from Libros para Niños, a Nicaraguan foundation

İBienvenidos! Welcome!

Biblioteca "Quiero Aprender Contigo"