Libros para los Niños: A Nicaraguan Literacy Campaign

The Nicaraguan Literacy Campaign’s main goal is to promote literacy and education in Nicaragua by donating Spanish-English, age appropriate books to local schools and families. In Nicaragua only 48% of children that enroll in the first year of primary school make it to the last year of primary school (UNICEF survey data). If students were engaged in school from a young age they may be more determined to do well in school, which is why we want to target two to five year old children in our campaign and encourage excitement about reading at all ages. Studies show that children benefit from exposure to books from a very young age, and the earlier they are exposed, the more likely they are to do well in school (Heath, 1982). We want to bring books to children that they would not have access to otherwise. Another aspect of our mission is to encourage children to learn English as a second language, which is a valued skill for many in Latin America. If we encourage young children to learn English through bilingual books they may be motivated to continue later in their educational careers and more opportunities will be open to them.

In Nicaragua we will hold mini lessons where we introduce vocabulary words in both languages that are relevant to the childrens’ book and then have “story time” with both Spanish and English narrators. Being able to interact with Nicaraguan children will give UCSD students an opportunity to work on their Spanish speaking skills and their child interaction skills. We will also be doing a notebook drive at the end of the quarter to collect any half-used notebooks from UCSD students that often get thrown away or go unused on a bookshelf. These notebooks will be donated to older children who need help buying school supplies. By soliciting help from teacher supply stores, our Education Studies department and various humanitarian groups on campus we will enrich our Libros para los Niños program with ideas from a diverse group of people. Community members would also be able to provide suggestions for lesson plans, donation supplies and monetary support. A third element of our trip will be bringing craft supplies that we believe would provide a creative outlet for children that they normally would not have. The craft project would allow them to associate school with fun activities, and they could bring their project home and have pride in their accomplishment.

Our goal is to give a group of ten mature, motivated and conscientious UC San Diego students a chance to volunteer in a rural community of Nicaragua. Through one of our members we have accommodations in Chichigalpa and contacts with a local school there. We will be working closely with this school and receiving updates on their needs and how we can put our help to good use. This project would not only benefit the students and teachers in Nicaragua, but also the members that go on the trip since they would gain exposure to a completely different culture and broaden their horizons by living in a rural area of a third world country for a short period. For members who plan to be teachers in the future they would have the added bonus of seeing an educational system of a third world country.